Joshua's Hill
Joshua's Hill | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 195 m (640 ft) |
Coordinates | 41°09′45.18″N 29°05′6.90″E / 41.1625500°N 29.0852500°E |
Naming | |
Native name | Yuşa Tepesi (Turkish) |
Geography | |
Geology | |
Mountain type | Hill |
Joshua's Hill (
History
Although the hill is now a centre for Muslim pilgrimage, it had been sanctified long before the coming of Islam. At one time there was a temple to Zeus on its summit and the peak was known as the Bed of Hercules.[3] In Byzantine times this was replaced by a church dedicated to St Michael which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1509.[3]
Tomb of Joshua
At the top of the hill stands a giant symbolic grave known to Europeans as the "Giant's Grave".).
A flat, rectangular earthen rise 17 meters (56 ft) long and 2 meters (6.6 ft) wide, the unroofed area is surrounded by a cast-iron grate. Local inhabitants consider the grave miraculous and come here to pray to be healed of their illnesses.
The tomb area is planted with miniature begonias and surrounded by mature trees. At one end of the grave are two cylindrical stones reminiscent of small millstones. In the centre of one of them are a quadrangular opening and a very noticeable fissure. The grave is surrounded by a stone wall containing two doors and several windows. Pilgrims enter through one of the doors, pass around the grave in a circle and exit through the second one.
Yuşa Mosque
Beside the grave, the small Yuşa Mosque (
See also
References
- ^ YUŞA (JOSHUA) TOMB
- ^ Joshua's Hill Guide
- ISBN 975-413-062-0.
- ISBN 975-413-062-0.
- ^ a b Mazar Hazrat Yusha' bin Noon, on the website of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada [1]
- ^ Tomb of Prophet Yusha' (photo of the tomb; Islamic view on Prophet Yusha'/Joshua) [2]