Rachel's Tomb

Attribution:

Rahel Sharon

Key Dates

The structure at the site was built around 1620 by the Ottoman Turks. It was extended in 1860. In the 1990s, the deteriorating security situation forced the building to be fortified, then finally seperated from the rest of Bethlehem by a perimeter wall. In 2010, the shrine was added to Israel's list of national heritage sites.

Bethlehem

Israel

Key People

The shrine is the traditional gravesite of the Biblical Matriarch Rachel. Jewish British banker and philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore financed the extension of the building 1860.

Rachel's tomb, located south of Jerusalem on the outskirts of Bethlehem in the West Bank, is widely considered the third holiest site in Judaism. Considered the burial spot of Biblical "eternal mother" Rachel, it's marked by a building shaped like a cube topped with a dome. The shrine is a popular pilgramage destination for Jews, particularly women unable to give birth, although access is severly restricted.

Because of security tensions, the shrine is surrounded by a fortified compound, and seperated from the rest of Bethlehem by an extension of the West Bank separation barrier. Only bullet-proof buses are allowed direct access. Palestinians refer to the tomb as Bilal ibn Rabah, and claim it has Muslim origins. They consider the placement of the wall as a land grab, and reject Israeli claims that it's a defensive structure intended to keep attackers out.

In 2010, the shrine was controversially added to Israel's list of national heritage sites by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Admission Fee

Admission Free

Images

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Location

Rachel's Tomb Bethlehem

Israel

31° 43' 10.3872" N, 35° 12' 0.2412" E

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