Mausoleum of Abu Hurayra

  • Mausoleum of Abu Huraira
  • (Rabban Gamaliel's Tomb)
The portico façade, in 2010
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
StatusActive (as a synagogue)
Former denominationIslam
Location
LocationHaSanhedrin Park, Yavne, Rehovot Subdistrict, Central District
CountryIsrael
Mausoleum of Abu Hurayra is located in Central Israel
Mausoleum of Abu Hurayra
Location of the mausoleum and synagogue, in Central Israel
Geographic coordinates31°52′03″N 34°44′36″E / 31.8675°N 34.7432°E / 31.8675; 34.7432
Architecture
TypeMausoleum / maqam
StyleRoman architecture
Completedc. 13th century
(as a tomb)
Dome(s)Two (maybe more)

The mausoleum of Abu Hurayra, or Rabban Gamaliel's Tomb, is a maqam turned synagogue in HaSanhedrin Park in Yavne, Rehovot Subdistrict, in the Central District of Israel, formerly belonging to the depopulated Palestinian village of Yibna. It has been described as "one of the finest domed mausoleums in Palestine."[1]: 313 

The mausoleum is located on a cemetery, northwest of Tel Yavne, that has been used by residents of Yamnia/Yavneh for burial since at least the Roman period.[2] Since the early 13th century, Muslims identified it as one of the purported burial places of Abu Hurairah, a companion (sahaba) of Muhammad, although most Arabic sources give Medina as his resting place. The date of the inner tomb chamber is uncertain, with contemporary sources allowing the assumption that a tomb chamber existed at the site and was associated with Abu Hurairah already before Sultan Baybars's additions.[3]: 121  In 1274, Baybars ordered the construction of the riwaq featuring a tripartite portal and six tiny domes together with a dedicatory inscription,[4]: 31  with the site expanded further in 1292 by Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil.[a]

The tomb is known to Jews as the Tomb of Rabban Gamaliel of Yavne, the first Nasi of the Sanhedrin after the fall of the Second Temple.[5]: 22  A Hebrew travel guide dated to between 1266 and 1291 attributes the tomb to Gamaliel and describes it as being occupied by a Muslim prayer house.[6]: 70  The site was frequently visited by Jewish medieval pilgrims.[b] Following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War the mausoleum was officially designated as a shrine for Jews by the Israeli government.[4]: 31 [5]: 22 [1]: 313 

In all likelihood neither Rabban Gamaliel of Yavne nor Abu Hurairah are buried in the tomb.[3]: 117 

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Petersen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference FischerTaxel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference HT2000 Ovadiah was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Taragan, Hana (2002). "Historical reference in medieval Islamic architecture: Baybar's buildings in Palestine" (PDF). Bulletin of the Israeli Academic Center in Cairo. 25: 31-34.
  5. ^ a b Mayer, L.A.; Pinkerfeld, J.; Yadin, Y. (1950). Some Principal Muslim Religious Buildings in Israel. Jerusalem: Ministry of religious affairs.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference HT2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Bar, Gideon (2008). "Reconstructing the Past: The Creation of Jewish Sacred Space in the State of Israel, 1948–1967". Israel Studies. 13 (3): 1–21. doi:10.2979/isr.2008.13.3.1. JSTOR 30245829.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).