Maqam an-Nabi Yusha' () is a religious complex consisting of a
mosque
A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard.
Originally, mosques were si ...
and the
shrine
A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...
containing a
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...
believed to entomb the remains of the biblical
Joshua
Joshua ( ), also known as Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' Literal translation, lit. 'Yahweh is salvation'), Jehoshua, or Josue, functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Book of Exodus, Exodus and ...
.
It is located in the abandoned village of
Al-Nabi Yusha'
Al-Nabi Yusha' () was a small Palestinian village in the Galilee situated 17 kilometers to the northeast of Safad, with an elevation of 375 meters above sea level. It became part of the Palestine Mandate under British control from 1923 unti ...
in
Safed
Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel.
Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...
, in the
Northern District of
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. The structure, one of the historic
maqams in the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
, is now in a ruined state.
History
The religious complex was founded in the 18th century by the aristocratic ''Alghul'' family.
During the
Mandate period, the residents of Al-Nabi Yusha' (who were mostly
Shi'ites
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
) celebrated an annual
mawsim festival at the site dedicated to the entombed prophet.
In 2018, the site was vandalized by unknown perpetrators, who sprayed
Talmudic
The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewi ...
graffiti on its walls.
Architecture
The Maqam an-Nabi Yusha' is a rectangular structure formed around a courtyard aligned north–south with an arched entrance on the north end while the two domed chambers, including the shrine-mausoleum, were located on the south end of the complex.
[Guérin, V. (1880). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 3: Galilee, pt. 2. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.] The shrine is surrounded by
fig trees
''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending in ...
and species of
cactus
A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...
growing around it.
Gallery
Huleh Swamps.jpg, The Maqam an-Nabi Yusha', , before it was ruined
Nabi-Yusha-218.jpg, The interior of the shrine-mausoleum, the simple grave dedicated to Joshua is visible in front of the mihrab
''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall".
...
, painted in white
Nabi-Yusha-176.jpg, Courtyard of the Maqam an-Nabi Yusha'
Nabi-Yusha-179.jpg, Ruins of the hallways of the mosque
Nabi-Yusha-204.jpg, Inside the mosque part's main chamber
See also
*
Islam in Israel
, Muslims are the largest religious minority in Israel, accounting for 18.1% of the country's total population. Most of this figure is represented by the Arab citizens of Israel,
*
Maqam (shrine)
A maqām () is a Muslims, Muslim shrine constructed at a site linked to a religious figure or Wali, saint, commonly found in the Levant (or ''al-Shām),'' which comprises the present-day countries of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Israel. It is ...
*
Maqam Nabi Yusha' in
Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
*
Tomb of Joshua
The Tomb of Joshua (), i.e. the burial site of the biblical figure Joshua, and that of his companion Caleb are, according to a Samaritan tradition noted in 1877, at Kifl Haris in the West Bank. Religious Jews also identify one of the mausolea a ...
References
{{Mosques in Israel
Mosque buildings with domes in Israel
Former mosques in Israel
Burial monuments and structures
Mausoleums
Mosque ruins
Ruins in Israel