Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-18
The GAVE or nrAcHl,ELAH.
Hebrews Waiting ut the Tomb If Their
Great Ancestor.

OtGAt AuStsNOE.
1t goes without saying that the cave o.
Machpelah is the great attraction here 70
tourists, writes Hebron. Palestine, cor
respondent to the New Orleans Times
Democrat:
Alas! that this cave one of the most in
teresting and genuine of the relics of the
past which exist in Palestine to-day,
should be in the hands of the Moslems
Backsheeh has been found all-pOtent In
opening up places of interest elsewhere,
which are held by the Moslems, such as
the mosque of Omar at Jerusalem the
CGuaculam, and the great mosque at
Damascus, but this bigoted Hebron sect
still hold out in their persistent refusal to
open up this wonderful cave to the ''In-
fldel Frank" No living Christian has
ever entered the cave of Machpelah, l
suppose, while only three or four of the
most highly favored sons of royalty, such
as the Prince of Wales, have been per-
mitted to enter the chambers above the
real cave in which the monuments of dis
play are located. The cave is studiously
guarded even from the indiscriminate
gaze of MOslems, lest some indiscreet dis
ciple of islam should sell the facts regard
ing II TO Frank writer. Indeed, the ac-
counts published from the testimony of
leaky Moslems who have inspected the
cave and those published in the works of
Christian scholars who lived when the
church over the cave was in the hands of
the Franks are confused and very contra
dict0ry.
The site Of the cave is covered by a vast
mosque, geo feet long by 115 broad. The
foundation stones are in some instances
twenty feet long, and bear the ancient
Jewish bevels. The mosque is character
lied by two towering minarets, which
make it one of the most conspicuous
features of the modern village of Hebron
in distant views of the town. 1t is be-
lieVed that the actual cave is double, as
the meaning of the word HlGchpeLdh itself
is double"
Not only are the tombs of Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebekah and Leah
here, but it iS popularity held by scholars
of the Holy fSnd that visit to the cave
would reveal the resting-places of large
numbers of other Israelites who nave been
entombed with the early fathers.
At the rear end of the mosque is the en-
trance to some external cavities above
and around the real Machpelah, which is
exposed to the promiscuouS gaze of the
public as a sort OF earnest of the sincerity
of those MOslems in charge, VINO main
tain that the historical cave of MachPelah
is beneath. | gaZed down at this tantal-
iZing opening from the top OF a retaining
wall that iDclOses 1t, but was allowed to
go no nearer.
At one side of the mosque found a COM
pany OF Jews, with curls dangling in front
of their ears, who were weeping, chant
ing, and lamenting over the venerable
foundation stones, exactly as they still do
st the famous wailing place in Jerusalem,
just outside the old temple area. These
Jews love the very dust of Hebron for the
sake of its associations. Other Jews
were depositing prayers written in He
brew IN the deep seams between the rocks
of he mosque foundation, believing that
prayers made at such holy site possess
Sunerior efficacy.