Excavations in Al-Aqsa Mosque
Introduction:
Jerusalem has been home to a lot of successive civilizations over successive decades. It has a very high archeological value. The latest of what Jerusalem has witnessed is the Israeli occupation, that was subsequent to the British Mandate. It is known that any occupier who seeks to take over any land needs to take advantage of everything on that land, have control over all the imports and exports, and have roads that enable them to shape the place’s nature as they want it. This is actually what the Israeli occupation has done through various means. The most severe means used on the City of Jerusalem, and Al-Aqsa Mosque in particular, is the excavations.
What are these Excavations?
The Israeli Occupation carries out excavation works to Judaize the Holy City. The excavations cause damage and crevices in Al-Aqsa Mosque and its walls. The Israelis carry out these excavations under the pretext of the search for traces of the alleged Temple, though the reality disproves the existence of such temple.
The Occupation’s Justifications of these Excavations:
The occupation authorities justify these excavations by saying that they search for “Jewish traces” of the alleged Temple. Yet, the purpose of the excavations goes in fact beyond that; it is to have the network of the tunnels and excavations be part of the historic “Holy Jewish Yerushalim” the occupation is building, to make this Yerushalim the main tourism destination in their state. The Israeli occupation uses these excavations to advance their false religious and historic allegations, by sabotaging the Arab, Islamic, and
cultural archeology.
The Real Purpose behind the Excavations:
The real purpose behind these excavations is to destroy and omit all the Islamic buildings. This includes the mosques, corners, markets, houses, and graveyards above the excavation area and surrounding Al-Buraq Wall (the Western/ Wailing Wall), along the Western and southern sides of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Also, the Occupation authorities seeks to take over Al-Aqsa Mosque and destroy it, in order to build the Temple in its place.
What do Archeologists Say about these Excavations?
The historic evidences and the findings of the archeologists have proved the falsity of their allegations. Despite the ongoing excavation works since 1968, there is not a single proof of the existence of any Jewish trace in Al-Aqsa Mosque’s area, let alone the whole land of Palestine.
The First Excavations in Jerusalem:
The First Excavations in the Old Town, in Jerusalem, date back to 1863. They were carried out by a French mission led by De Sulci. The mission members discovered the kings’ graves, in an Islamic Waqf land, and claimed that the graves date back to the time of prophet Dawood (King David). In one of the graves, they found a document in the Aramaic language, which their boss transferred to the Louvre Museum in Paris. It should be noted that the graveyard is an Islamic Jerusalemite land that has never been for Jews; never ever.
The Evolution of the Excavations:
The series of excavations has been initiated in 1967, in 9 stages.
Things were getting difficult in every stage, and the excavations have extended to more areas. The excavations are still ongoing, and they are not limited to Al-Aqsa Mosque’s area, but also around it.
The Position of the Department of Jerusalem’s Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque’s Affairs on the Excavations:
The Department has always cautioned against these excavations in the blessed Aqsa Mosque. Also, they requested the UNISCO to intervene and send a reconnaissance mission to the targeted site.
The director of the department, Azzam Al-Khatib, said that there are recent excavations ongoing under the northern part of the Islamic Museum’s area, in the western part of Al-Aqsa Mosque, near Bab Al-Magharibah. He added that this is a sign of secret activities to connect the multiple tunnels under Al-Aqsa Mosque’s area, particularly in the area of the Umayyad’s palaces, under the Islamic Museum’s building.
The Excavations that Were Monitored and Documented under the Area of Al-Aqsa Mosque:
1. The Western Tunnel
2. Tunnel under Bab Al-Qatanin and Qaitbey Spring
3. Tunnel under Al-Ein Public Bath House
4. Tunnel under Silsilat Al-Ajyal Hall
5. Tunnel under Silwan Cave
6. New tunnel under Silwan
7. Eastern tunnel under Silwan
8. Tunnel under Hilweh Valley
9. Silwan-Hilweh Valley Tunnel
10. Tunnel under Hilweh Valley and the southwestern corner of Al-Aqsa Mosque
11. Excavations under the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque
12. The Jebusite tunnel under Silwan Hill
The Risks of these Excavations:
Because of these excavations, a lot of relics, above and under the ground, were destroyed. Also, there have been cracks and fallouts of floors and walls in Al-Aqsa Mosque, and in buildings in the Old Jerusalem and Silwan. This is aimed at Judaizing the area of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Moreover, the excavations contribute in reasserting the Occupation’s domination over the land, and expanding the Judaizing projects. A lot of these tunnels, and some of them are big halls now, have been turned into synagogues and biblical and Talmudic pilgrimage sites.