Old City of Jerusalem.
But there is
no such thing as routine remodeling when it comes to the most contested
piece of real estate in Jerusalem, where the presence of a mere
screwdriver can threaten to ignite religious tensions.
The
carpet has sparked a verbal holy war over the hilltop compound, which
is revered by Jews and Muslims whose competing claims often spill over
into violence.
Israeli archaeological
authorities say the repairs were carried out behind their backs, and an
Israeli government minister urged an immediate halt to the work,
claiming it might cause irreparable damage. Frustrated Israeli
researchers say previously undocumented ancient floor designs were
discovered when the old carpets were peeled off, but they didn't get a
chance to document the designs before workmen covered them up with the
new carpet.
And some researchers claim the Bible's deepest secrets may lie beneath some of the newly exposed floor designs.
"Something
is there. I don't know what. But something is hidden there," said
Israeli archaeologist Zachi Dvira, who studies the site.
Officials with the Waqf, the
Muslim authority that administers the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, which
includes the Dome of the Rock, reject the Israeli accusations.
Sheikh
Azzam Tamimi, the head of the Waqf, said the work is long overdue and
has defiantly proclaimed that he was forbidding any Israeli involvement.
"Our
work in Al Aqsa is transparent," he told The Associated Press. "We are
only putting down carpet and felt. Nothing more, nothing less."
The
work quietly began more than a month ago, and Israel facilitated the
renovation project, said Jamal Al Quda, a member of a group of Jordanian
carpet layers who received Israeli visas for the job.
A
packing list dated March 11 from an Egyptian carpet company to the
Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv lists 80 bales of carpeting for the
Marwani prayer area located at the compound, and the prayer area
encircling the rock slab inside the dome.
Jordan's King Abdullah II
financed the project, according to Waqf. Israel captured Jerusalem's Old
City from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war, but under a longstanding
agreement, Jordan remains the custodian of the area's Muslim holy sites.
On
a recent afternoon in a small cave underneath the shrine's rock, Al
Quda dribbled Israeli all-purpose glue from a large tin onto an
intricate stone tile decoration on the cave's marble floor. He said it
was necessary to affix the base layer of thin dark felt before rolling
out the carpet above it.
Some Israeli archaeologists are alarmed about the glue used but Al Quda said the glue wouldn't damage the floor.
"It comes off my hand," he said, rubbing his fingers.
The cryptic geometric designs have sparked the imagination of some researchers about what secrets may lay beneath.
Ancient Jewish traditions say the gold-cased Ark of the
Covenant, which contained the Ten Commandments, may have been hidden
away in a chamber when the First Jewish Temple was destroyed some 2,500
years ago. It's an Indiana Jones-type mystery that touches upon a holy
grail for biblical enthusiasts.
While
Jerusalem may be the most excavated city in the world, the Dome of the
Rock and its hilltop plaza are an archaeological gold mine that has
never been properly dug because of the political sensitivities
surrounding the site, which is considered Judaism's holiest spot and
Islam's third holiest.
The
Dome of the Rock enshrines the large rock slab where Muslim tradition
says the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jews believe the rock may
be where the holiest part of the two ancient Temples stood as early as
about 3,000 years ago — and where religious Jews pray a third Temple
will one day be built. The adjacent Western Wall, believed to be one of
the last remnants of the Temple complex, is the holiest site where Jews
can pray. Palestinian officials reject Jewish historical ties to the
site.
The competing claims have spilled over into violence.
In
1999, the Muslim authorities who administer the site dug an enormous
hole 12 meters (40 feet) deep as part of construction for an underground
prayer area, dumping 10,000 tons of earth in a nearby valley and an
east Jerusalem dump.
The director of the
Israeli Antiquities Authority at the time called it an "archaeological
crime." For years, Dvira and veteran Israeli archaeologist Gabriel
Barkay have been leading a team of archaeologists and volunteers in
combing through the dirt for historical finds.
The
initiative, called the Temple Mount Sifting Project, is conducted under
the auspices of the Elad Foundation, a group that also purchases Arab
homes in contested parts of East Jerusalem and helps move Jews in.
Critics say this nationalist agenda should not mix with archaeology.
Israel's
state comptroller wrote a scathing report in 2010 about the Muslim
authorities' illicit work projects at the compound and Israel's failure
at enforcing supervision there. Israeli officials kept the report
classified out of concern that its publication could harm the sensitive
relationship with Jordan.Tens of thousands of worshippers attend weekly Friday prayers, and the carpets have been replaced before — most recently 12 years ago, at a time of heightened violence when Israeli antiquities officials were granted limited access to the site.
Past renovation projects were done quietly behind the scenes. Leaked photos posted on social media sites — combined with the political influence of Israeli nationalists monitoring the site — drew extra attention and fueled the latest controversy.
Last week, Israel's housing minister, Uri Ariel of the nationalist Jewish Home party, sent an alarmed letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the carpeting project.
"There is no need to elaborate on how important this site is, where every modification, every excavation with heavy equipment can cause irreparable harm to the foundations of the Temple," Ariel wrote.
Photos that were leaked to Facebook from the off-limits restoration site showed a number of geometric floor patterns never before documented by archaeologists, said Frankie Snyder, a researcher with the Temple Mount Sifting Project.
Some apparently date to when the Crusaders controlled the complex in the 12th century, she said.
"I'm
worried about damage of the original floors," said Barkay, the
archaeologist. "The patterns were never properly documented."
Israel
Hasson, the director of the Israeli Antiquities Authority, said once
the government body learned about the renovation, it made arrangements
with the Waqf to send an archaeologist to document some of the floor
patterns, but others already had been covered by the maroon and beige
carpeting.
"We got to part of
them. We didn't get to it all. I won't ask anyone to pull up the
carpets to document it," Hasson said. "We will wait for the next
opportunity. We're sure to be here over the next 2,000 years."
Source:AP
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