Mosque of Omar (Bethlehem)

Mosque in Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine

This article is about mosque in Bethlehem. For the mosque with the same name in Jerusalem, see Mosque of Omar (Jerusalem).

Mosque of Omar

مسجد عمر

The mosque in 2019

Religion
Affiliation| Islam
Ecclesiastical or organisational status| Mosque
Status| Active
Location
Location| Bethlehem, West Bank
Country| Palestine

Location of the mosque in the West Bank

Geographic coordinates| 31°42′16.34″N 35°12′20.03″E﻿ / ﻿31.7045389°N 35.2055639°E﻿ / 31.7045389; 35.2055639
Architecture
Completed| 1860
Minaret(s)| 1

The Mosque of Omar (Arabic: مسجد عمر, romanized: Masjid Umar) is a mosque located in the Old City of Bethlehem,[1][2] in the West Bank, in the State of Palestine. It is situated on the west side of Manger Square, across the square from the Church of the Nativity.

## History

[edit]

### Early Muslim period; location

[edit]

The mosque is named after Omar (Umar) ibn al-Khattab (c. 581–644), the second Rashidun Caliph. Having conquered Jerusalem, Omar had travelled to Bethlehem in 637 CE to issue a law that would guarantee respect for the shrine and safety of Christians and clergy.[3][better source needed] Only four years after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Omar allegedly prayed at the location of the mosque.[4][better source needed]

Yaqut al-Hamawi (d. 1229) relates how Caliph Omar was advised by a Christian monk to build a mosque in an arcaded building or haniyya, rather than transform the Church of the Nativity into a mosque.[5] Yaqut places the haniyya at a site where biblical kings David and Solomon were thought to be buried.[5] In the early 10th century, Eutychius of Alexandria (877–940) describes the haniyya as placed within a Christian site, facing south and thus being appropriate for Muslim prayer (qibla), and mentions Omar as allowing Muslims to pray in the haniyya only one at a time; and prohibiting them to touch anything there, as well as to call for or conduct congregational prayers inside.[5] Eutychius complained that in his time, the early 10th century, Muslims had broken these three rules.[5] The evolution of the status of this site of prayer seems to have been from an arcaded space attached to a Christian building, where at first Muslims held only limited rights for performing prayers, to a congregational mosque starting from the early tenth century.[5]

The exact location of the haniyya is not clear, but the place thought during late antiquity to be the burial site of David and Solomon was described by the Pilgrim of Bordeaux (330) as not far from the Basilica of the Nativity, and by the Piacenza Pilgrim (570) as half a Roman mile from the town centre.[5]

### Modern mosque at new location (1860)

[edit]

The current mosque was built in 1860,[4] on land given for the purpose by Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox Church.[2] It was renovated in 1955 during Jordanian control of the city.[3] In the past, before the advent of light bulbs, it was common for Muslims and Christians in Bethlehem to offer olive oil to light up the surroundings of the mosque, which was evidence of religious coexistence in the city.[3]

#### Tensions (2000s)

[edit]

On February 20, 2006, the Dalai Lama canceled his visit to the mosque, among other places, due to pressure from the government of China. The Palestinian National Authority had requested the cancellation. A foreign ministry official, Majdi al-Khaldi, told reporters,

> "At the request of the Chinese government, we have not received or dealt with him given his separatist ambitions for Tibet.... Given our friendly relations with the Chinese government, which supports the Palestinian people, we asked the local (Bethlehem) authorities as well as civil society groups not to receive him and they acquiesced with our request.[6][7]

In February 2007, Israel's Shin Bet security agency arrested 20 men who were allegedly recruited for a "Hamas-linked cell" by a Muslim cleric in the Mosque of Omar.[8] Nevertheless, the mosque remained peaceful when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited on Christmas Eve 2007.[9]

## Gallery

[edit]

*   *

## See also

[edit]

* Islam portal
* Palestine portal

* List of mosques in Palestine
* Islam in Palestine

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Low, Valentine; Philp, Catherine (January 24, 2020). "Prince Charles offers strong message of support for Palestinians in Bethlehem". The Times. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
2. ^ a b "Mosque of Omar: Mosque in Bethlehem". Lonely Planet. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
3. ^ a b c "Mosque of Omar". GeoCities: Bethlehem Homepage. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009.
4. ^ a b "Mosque of Omar (Bethlehem)". Atlas Travels and Tourism Agency. Archived from the original on July 29, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
5. ^ a b c d e f Guidetti, Mattia (2016). In the Shadow of the Church: The Building of Mosques in Early Medieval Syria. Arts and Archaeology of the Islamic World (Book 8). BRILL; Lam edition. pp. 30–31\. ISBN 9789004325708. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
6. ^ "Palestinians refuse Dalai Lama visit again". Archived from the original on March 2, 2007.
7. ^ "Dalai Lama visit". Middle East Times. House and Land Rights Network. February 20, 2006.[dead link]
8. ^ "Israel nabs 20 terror suspects". UPI. February 5, 2007.
9. ^ "Peace talks spark tourist influx into Bethlehem". CBC News. Associated Press. December 24, 2007.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Mosque of Omar (Bethlehem) at Wikimedia Commons

* Photos of the Mosque of Omar at the Manar al-Athar photo archive

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Bethlehem Governorate

Cities|

* Beit Jala
* Beit Sahour
* Bethlehem (Beit Lahm)

Municipalities|

* Battir
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* Nuaman
* Umm Salamuna
* ash-Shawawra
* Wadi al-Arayis
* Wadi Fukin
* Wadi an-Nis
* Wadi Rahhal
* al-Walaja

Religion|

* Chapel of the Milk Grotto
* Chapel of the Shepherds' Field
* Church of Saint Catherine, Bethlehem
* Church of the Nativity
* Mosque of Omar (Bethlehem)
* St. George's Monastery, Al-Khader
* Al-Hamadiyya Mosque
* Monastery of Saint Theodosius
* Mar Saba
* Rachel's Tomb†

Refugee camps|

* Aida
* 'Azza
* Dheisheh

Other|

* Solomon's Pools
* ‘Ayn Fashkhah

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Mosques in Palestine

Active|

| West Bank|

| Bethlehem|

* Al-Hamadiyya
* Bilal ibn Rabah
* Omar

|

Hebron|

* al-Qazzazeen
* Amir Sanjar al-Jawli
* Ibrahimi
* Ishaqiyyah
* Maqam Nabi Noah
* Al-Omari, Dura
* Sheikh Ali al-Bakka

Jenin|

* Fatima Khatun
* Shiekh Zayid

Nablus|

* Great
* Al-Hanbali
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Ramallah|

* Ein Misbah
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Gaza Strip|

* Al-Khader
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East Jerusalem
(disputed territory)|

* Abdeen
* Al-Aqsa (Qibli / Dome of the Rock)
* Al-Buraq
* Al Dissi
* Hayat
* Al-Khanqah as-Salahiyya
* Marwani
* Omar
* Al-Qaymariyya
* Sultan Ibrahim Ibn Adham

Former|

* Abu Khadra(Gaza)
* Al-Shamah (Gaza)
* Great (Gaza)
* Ibn Uthman (Gaza)
* Mahkamah (Gaza)
* Sidna Omar (East Jerusalem)
* Umm al-Nasr (Gaza)
* Zofor Domri Mosque (Gaza)

* Category
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Religious sites in Palestine

Bethlehem Governorate|

* Chapel of the Milk Grotto
* Chapel of the Shepherd's Field
* Church of Saint Catherine
* Church of the Nativity
* Mosque of Omar
* St. George's Monastery, Al-Khader
* Al-Hamadiyya Mosque
* Monastery of Saint Theodosius
* Mar Saba
* Rachel's Tomb†

Flag of Palestine

Hebron Governorate|

* Ibrahimi Mosque†
* Sheikh Ali al-Bakka Mosque
* Al-Jawali Mosque
* Church of the Holy Forefathers and Monastery of the Holy Trinity
* Maqam Nabi Noah
* Al-Omari Mosque

Jenin Governorate|

* Fatima Khatun Mosque
* Burqin Church

Jericho Governorate|

* Deir Hajla
* Monastery of the Temptation
* Monastery of Saint George of Choziba
* Nabi Musa
* Jericho synagogue

Jerusalem Governorate|

* Tomb of Lazarus
* Church of Saint Lazarus
* Abdeen Mosque

Nablus Governorate|

* Great Mosque of Nablus
* An-Nasr Mosque
* Al-Khadra Mosque
* Hanbali Mosque
* Nabi Yahya Mosque
* Al-Nurayn Mosque
* Mount Gerizim
* Mount Ebal
* Jacob's Well
* Joseph's Tomb

Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate|

* Jamal Abdel Nasser Mosque
* Greek Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration
* Holy Family Catholic Church

Salfit Governorate|

* Tomb of Joshua

Tulkarm Governorate|

* Church of Saint George

Gaza Governorate|

* Great Mosque of Gaza
* Abu Khadra Mosque
* Aybaki Mosque
* Ibn Marwan Mosque
* Ibn Uthman Mosque
* Holy Family Church (Latin Catholic Church)
* Church of Saint Porphyrius (Orthodox Christian Church)
* Zofor Domri Mosque

† Access to the site is controlled by Israel.
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