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Jerusalem. People United in a Prayer
Sezione 1
Sezione 2
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Outdoor
Raja ibn Haywa. 637 AD
PLAY ME
I was the only one in front of
whom Patriarch Sonofrio of Jerusalem did not refuse to surrender
after the Arab conquest of the city in 637 A.D. He invited me to pray at the Holy Sepulchre, but I refused; I could not dirty that very high place of worship, even if it was of a different religion from mine, so I knelt outside on the steps. The first mosque that bears my name was built on that spot. The one you see today is in another part of the holy place,
but it is still located inside the Old City, in the Christian quarter. The minaret of the mosque, fifteen metres high, also has a strategic function. In fact, it is connected by a hypothetical line to that of the Al-Khanqah Al-Salahiyya Mosque, located on the northern side of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. The two minarets are very similar and cross the basilica,
almost piercing it, nullifying its sacred power as the resting place of Christ. In fact, according to the tradition of my religion, Islam, it was Allah who physically transported Jesus to paradise. We also believe that he was never crucified and, therefore, never resurrected. The mosque is located in a network of streets called Muristan, which, since the II century AD,
has been home to hospitals, shelters for the destitute and other care facilities that have continued to endure for hundreds of years.
Sezione 3
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