Mazor Mausoleum

Mazor Mausoleum

32.0465°N 34.9461°E/32.0465; 34.9461
Location	Mazor,Israel
Type	Mausoleum
Completion date	3rd century AD

TheMazor Mausoleum(Hebrew:מאוזוליאום מזור) is one of the best preservedRomanbuildings inIsrael,located inEl'ad.TheMausoleum,which is the onlyRoman erabuilding in Israel to still stand from its foundations to its roof, was built for an important Roman man and his wife in the 3rd century AD.Their identities remain a mystery but one can still see the remnants of twosarcophagiin the mausoleum.

History

See also:Al-Muzayri'a

In theEarly Muslim period,Muslimsadded amihrab(prayer niche) in the southern wall, indicating the direction ofMecca,and the building became an Islamic holy place calledMaqamen-Neby Yahyah('Shrine of theProphet John').Due to its sacredness, the building was preserved through the ages.It functioned as amosqueuntil the depopulation of the Palestinian villageAl-Muzayri'ain1948.

In July 1949, Israel decided to raze the mausoleum, after theIsraeli Ground Forceshad used the building for target practice. However, an antiquities inspector managed to stop the destruction.

Nowadays

The Mazor mausoleum has been declared a "national park" and is currently under the management ofIsrael's National Parks Authority.

Bibliography

• Conder, C.R.;Kitchener, H.H.(1882).The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology.Vol. 2. London:Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.