Location: |
Under the Dome of the Rock shrine on the Temple Mount, Jerusalem.
(31.778010, 35.235337) |
Open: |
no restrictions. [2021] |
Fee: |
free. [2021] |
Classification: | Karst Cave |
Light: | n/a |
Dimension: | |
Guided tours: | self guided |
Photography: | allowed |
Accessibility: | no |
Bibliography: | |
Address: | Well of Souls, |
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بئر الأرواح (Well of Souls) is also often called the Cave beneath the Holy Rock. As always in Jerusalem, there are names in multiple languages and religious and other legends of various origins. The cave was originally a natural cave on top of the hill, which was enlarged artificially. Its current name Well of Souls is a result of a medieval Islamic legend that at this place the spirits of the dead can be heard awaiting Judgment Day. Alternate names are Pit of Souls, Cave of Spirits, or Well of Spirits, in Arabic بئر الأرواح (Biʾr al-Arwaḥ). During the Crusader period, it was known to Christians as the Holy of Holies because it is probably located in the Foundation Stone of the inner sanctum of the former Jewish Temple.
Today the cave is located in the Dome of the Rock shrine on the Temple Mount. This is today a Islamic mosque, a characteristic octagonal building with a circular golden cupola which is world-famous. Inside the mosque is a piece of floor which is not covered by rug, surrounded by a railing of irregular shape, where the original bedrock of the hill can be seen. Nearby is a staircase which leads down into the cave at the southeast corner of the Foundation Stone. 16 marble steps descend through an artificial passage, which is thought to date to Crusader times. The cave itself is a roughly square chamber, 6m by 6m and between 1.5 m and 2.5 m high. As it is part of the mosque it has rugs on the floor and four prayer niches, dedicated to Prophet Dawud (David), Prophet Suleiman (Solomon), to Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and to Khidr/Elijah. In the middle of a ceiling is a shaft to the surface with a diameter of 46 cm. There are numerous legends explaining its existence, one weirder than the next. It is definitely artificial, while the cave ceiling seems to be natural.
According to Jewish tradition, the Foundation Stone is considered the place from which the creation of the world began, and where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. It is also the location of the destroyed Second Jewish Temple which was built around 516 BCE to replace Solomon's Temple. It was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. According to Islamic tradition, the Foundation Stone is known as the Noble Rock, where Muhammad ascended to heaven during his Night Journey. The Stone tried to follow Muhammad as he ascended, leaving his footprint here while pulling up and hollowing out the cave below. Archangel Gabriel restrained the Stone from rising, by holding it with his hand which left an impression of the hand in the stone which can still be seen.
Both Jewish and Muslim traditions relate to the cave. The earliest can be found in the Talmud indicates that the Stone marks the center of the world and serves as a cover for the Abyss (Abzu) containing the raging waters of the Flood. The cave was venerated by muslims since around 900, interpreting it as center of the world and the cover of a bottomless pit with the flowing waters of Paradise underneath. To support the rock a palm tree grows out of the River of Paradise. Also, Noah is said to have landed here after the Flood.