Tomb of David, Jerusalem
The tomb of David. Photo © www.HolyLandPhotos.org.
4th-century niche behind the cenotaph. © www.HolyLandPhotos.org.
Location map and aerial view of the Last Supper Room (center marker)
and nearby sites on Mount Zion. For a larger view, see our
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The Tomb of David is a much-revered site on Mount Zion in Jerusalem that has been variously owned and jealously guarded by Christians, Muslims and Jews throughout its history. Today it is a Jewish holy site.
Despite this site's long association with King David, it is highly unlikely that this is actually his burial place. The Bible records that David was buried on the eastern hill in the City of David (1 Kings 2:10), which is on the other side of Jerusalem.
In the Byzantine era, David and James (the Jewish and Christian founders of Jerusalem) were the focus of a liturgical celebration in the Church of Mount Zion. This eventually led to the popular belief that both were buried on Mount Zion. David's tomb was identified with this site while James' tomb was located on the site of the Armenian Cathedral.
History
This room may have been a 1st-century synagogue or early Christian church (see Last Supper Room). The Tomb of David was first located near here in the 11th century. The Crusaders built a church on this site in the 12th century; the "Tomb of David" was then the lower part of the Crusader Church of St. Mary of Zion. The Franciscans built a monastery here in 1335 when they returned to assume the administration of the holy places;
In 1524, the Ottoman ruler Sulieman the Magnificent seized control of the Tomb of David, on the basis that "it is neither just nor appropriate that this most noble place remain in the hands of the infidels and that...their feet foul the places sanctified by the prophets who have a right to our complete veneration." This may have also been motivated in part by the legend of great treasures buried with David (Josephus, Antiquities 16:179-82).
Under Muslim rule, the whole complex of vaulted passages and buildings was called al-Nabi Da'ud (the Prophet David), and this particular room was blocked off and modified for use as a mosque.
In the 1948 war, the Jews took the site from the Muslims and it remains in Jewish hands today.
What to See
Entrance at the southwest corner leads to a hall that was the lower part of the 12th-century Crusader church, then into a low, rectangular antechamber with piers and vaulting. Framing two square doorways on the east wall are fine tiles. The older tiles have floral designs in blue, green and red and are patched with newer green and black geometric tiles similar to those used in 16th-century repairs to the Dome of the Rock.
The two doorways lead into a second antechamber, which has a mihrab (c.1452) decorated with the same mixture of tiles and three small windows in the east wall. A screen wall, pierced by three square-framed doors and windows, separates the second antechamber from the cenotaph of David. The openings are blocked with iron bars and the cenotaph room itself cannot be entered.
The cenotaph of David (the tomb itself) is very large and draped in a red cloth embroidered with Hebrew text. It probably dates from the 16th century. Behind the cenotaph is a niche dated to the 4th century that may be part of a synagogue or the Byzantine church, but its northern orientation makes neither identification certain.
Burn marks are visible on the wall, which are due to fires during the sack of the church by the Persians in 614 or by the Muslims in 965. The wall has also been blackened by centuries of smoke from the candles of pilgrims.
Quick Facts
| Names: | Tomb of David |
| Type of site: | Jewish site |
| Location: | Mount Zion, Jerusalem |
| Hours: | Sat.-Thurs. 8-5, Fri. 8-1 |
| Cost: | Free |
| Bus: | 1, 2, 38 |
| Rules: | Men should cover their heads |
Sources
- Kay Prag, Blue Guide to Israel and the Palestinian Territories (Black and Norton, 2002), 215-16.
- Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, Oxford Archaeological Guides: The Holy Land (Oxford, 1998), 105.
- King David's Traditional Tomb - Century One (on the ancient church beneath the Tomb of David)
