מערת הסנהדרין הקטנה | |
 Cave entrance | |
 Interactive map of Cave of the Minor Sanhedrin | |
| Location | Sheikh Jarrah,Jerusalem |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°47′31″N35°13′50″E / 31.7920426°N 35.2304935°E /31.7920426; 35.2304935 |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Preserved |
| Public access | Restricted |
TheCave of the Minor Sanhedrin is a burial cave located next to theTomb of Simeon the Just in theSheikh Jarrah neighborhood ofJerusalem.[1] It contains 26 burial niches, in which the 26[citation needed] members of the MinorSanhedrin are said to be buried. There are also other burial caves in the complex.
The cave was plundered in the 19th century byLouis Félicien de Saulcy and another French archaeologist. They plundered the contents of the caves, scattering the bones of the buried people around the cave, before fleeing to theJaffa port. This infuriated the local Jewish community, who turned to public figures likeMoses Montefiore who acted to get the Turkish government to cancel their license to excavate.
The bones were collected by local Jews, and buried in a grave next to the nearbyTomb of Simeon the Just.[2] Artifacts from within the cave, including burial vaults and stones with Hebrew writing on them, are now displayed in theLouvre.
After the plundering, a Jewish woman purchased the site in order to preserve it due to its holiness.
Today, the cave entrance is locked and can only be visited in cooperation with the site management. In addition, aKabbalistic prayer is held there weekly.
| Christian cemeteries | |
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| Islamic cemeteries | |
| Jewish cemeteries | |
| Military cemeteries | |
| Tombs |
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Authority control databases: National |
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