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It's warm sunny afternoon in Jerusalem. I am
standing on the hill overlooking the Walling Wall with my hostess, an
Israeli citizen, who was born and brought up in India. This holiest of
Jewish cities is revered by the Muslim as Al-Quds, The Holy One. It has the
great al-Aqsa (the Furthermost) Mosque, named after the Prophet's final
ascent to heaven from the Mount of the Rock preserved within. Later, while
exiting from the mosque I meet Palestinians, who upon learning about my
identity, tell me about al-Haram ash-Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary. On this
site, or near it, occurred some of the greatest events of Biblical history.
It was here that King Solomon built the Temple. Christians believe that it
was here that boy Jesus was found by Mary and Joseph preaching the elders
and that he later chased the money changers from the Temple. It's also a
central site for Muslims, being the holy spot from which Mohammad ascended
to Heaven to pray with former prophets and appear before the throne of God.
As
I return to meet my Jewish hostess, I bump into droves of candle-carrying
Russian devotees. They are all walking to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,
the site of the crucifixion at Golgotha. My own thoughts are going on to
Bethlehem: It contains the shrine of Rachel. It was here that Prophet
Mohammad prayed on his way to Jerusalem. The shepherd boy David,
youngest son of Jesse, later recognised by the Prophet Samuel as the future
king of Israel, was born here.
A thousand years later, another descendent of Jesse, was born in a
grotto on the Hill of Bethlehem . This event, coinciding with the dawn of
the Age of Pisces, was marked by the appearance of a strange star in the
night sky. It was observed by eastern astrologers, and there magi
appeared in Jerusalem. Guided by prophecies of the birth of a future king of
the Jews and by the light, they came to the birthplace of Jesus. The first
church of Nativity was built in 326 AD. It was rebuilt in the sixth century
and has ever since been the holiest shrine of Christianity.
Bethlehem is only six miles from Jerusalem. But my hostess tells me
that there isn't enough time for a visit: We've to run to catch a bus to the
Dead Sea. As I mull over alternatives, an idea strikes me: I take off my
shoes, kneel on the cobbled street and touch the ground with my forehead:
That should convey my Salam-Namaste to Bethlehem! |
