Well of Souls

The Foundation Stone above the Well of Souls The Well of Souls ( ) is a natural cave located immediately beneath the Foundation Stone under the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem . In addition to a small well shaped hole in the stone that looks into the cave, there is also an entrance on the southern side, via a set of steps passing through a gap between the stone and the surrounding bedrock. The cave takes the form of a moderately sized room (similar in floor space to the stone), the ceiling curving to the ground gently, and the floor having been flattened and carpeted. The southern end of the cave, through which the steps enter it, has man-made walls to provide structural support to the cave roof above the steps. Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra attested to the existence of a cave, found under the Dome of the Rock , known as the Well of Souls . Since Islamic tradition holds that Muhammad ascended heavenwards from the stone, a related tradition has grown up that states that the Last Judgment will happen at the Sakhrah, and that the souls of the dead gather in the well of souls to wait for that event, and to pray. According to pre-Islamic folklore , the well of souls was a place where the voices of the dead could be heard along with the sounds of the Rivers of Paradise ; the cave is now known to have no exit apart from those leading to the surface of the Sakhrah, and the sounds have been argued to be a resonance effect similar to hearing the sea from seashells . The well of souls is sometimes conflated with the guf , a location in Jewish mythology , where the souls of the not-yet-born are stored, though the guf is usually considered to be a more heavenly location than an earth-bound one. The Well of Souls is sometimes considered the hiding place of the Ark of the Covenant in legends stating that the Ark was hidden beneath the Temple Mount, but removed when Solomon's temple was destroyed by the neo-Babylonians. In this context it appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark , although relocated to Tanis, Egypt . Israel Images 11835 (south entrance) - Internet Archive backup Israel images (inside) - Internet Archive backup Israel images 11836 (man-made walls) - Internet Archive backup Radbaz, Sheeloth Ve-Teshuboth cited in Zev Vilnay, Legends of Jerusalem (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1973), 26f.

This article describes the cave in Jerusalem. "The Cave Under the Great Rock on Mount Moriah " — known as the Well of Souls . (Illustration from Stanley Lane-Poole 's Picturesque Palestine, Sinai and Egypt , 1883.) The Well of Souls ( ) — sometimes translated Pit of Souls , Cave of Spirits , or Well of Spirits — is a partly natural/partly man-made cave located inside the Foundation Stone under the Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem . The name derives from a medieval Islamic legend that at this place the spirits of the dead can be heard awaiting Judgment Day (The name "Well of Souls" has also been applied more narrowly to a depression in the floor of this cave and to a hypothetical chamber that may exist beneath the floor.) The site has never been subject to an archeological investigation and political and diplomatic sensitivities preclude this for the foreseeable future.

This article describes the cave in Jerusalem. "The Cave Under the Great Rock on Mount Moriah " — known as the Well of Souls . (Illustration from Stanley Lane-Poole 's Picturesque Palestine, Sinai and Egypt , 1883.) The Well of Souls ( Bir al-Arwah ; sometimes translated Pit of Souls , Cave of Spirits , or Well of Spirits in Islam), also known in Christianity and Judaism by the time of the Crusades as the Holy of Holies , is a partly natural, partly man-made cave located inside the Foundation Stone under the Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem . The name "Well of Souls" derives from a medieval Islamic legend that at this place the spirits of the dead can be heard awaiting Judgment Day . The name has also been applied to a depression in the floor of this cave and a hypothetical chamber that may exist beneath it. The site has never been subject to an archeological investigation and political and diplomatic sensitivities currently preclude this. Secrets of Jerusalem's Temple Mount . Tourists in Israel . 4 September 2016 .

Cave beneath the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem This article is about the cave in Jerusalem. Watercolor over pencil on paper, Carl Haag , 1859 The Well of Souls ( ; sometimes translated Pit of Souls , Cave of Spirits , or Well of Spirits ), is a partly natural, partly man-made cave located inside the Foundation Stone ("Noble Rock" in Islam ) under the Dome of the Rock shrine on the Temple Mount ( Haram al-Sharif ) in Jerusalem . During the Crusader period , it was known to Christians as the " Holy of Holies ", referring to the inner sanctum of the former Jewish Temple , which, according to modern scholarship, was probably located on top of the Foundation Stone. The name "Well of Souls" derives from a medieval Islamic legend that at this place the spirits of the dead can be heard awaiting Judgment Day , although this is not a mainstream view in Sunni Islam . The name has also been applied to a depression in the floor of this cave and a hypothetical chamber that may exist beneath it. Secrets of Jerusalem's Temple Mount . Secrets of Jerusalem's Temple Mount (Updated & enlarged ed.). Israel and the Palestinian territories . London: A. & C. Tourists in Israel . 4 September 2016 .

Cave beneath the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem This article is about the cave in Jerusalem. Watercolor over pencil on paper, Carl Haag , 1859 The Well of Souls ( Arabic : بئر الأرواح , romanized : Biʾr al-Arwaḥ ; sometimes translated Pit of Souls , Cave of Spirits , or Well of Spirits ), is a partly natural, partly man-made cave located inside the Foundation Stone ("Noble Rock" in Islam ) under the Dome of the Rock shrine on the Temple Mount ( Haram al-Sharif ) in Jerusalem . During the Crusader period , it was known to Christians as the " Holy of Holies ", referring to the inner sanctum of the former Jewish Temple , which, according to modern scholarship, was probably located on top of the Foundation Stone. The name "Well of Souls" derives from a medieval Islamic legend that at this place the spirits of the dead can be heard awaiting Judgment Day , although this is not a mainstream view in Sunni Islam . The name has also been applied to a depression in the floor of this cave and a hypothetical chamber that may exist beneath it. Secrets of Jerusalem's Temple Mount . Secrets of Jerusalem's Temple Mount (Updated & enlarged ed.). Israel and the Palestinian territories .