The tomb of Esther and Mordecai ( Persian آرامگاه استر و مردخای ) is a tombstone and a room built around the tombstone, located where, according to tradition, the biblical queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai were buried . It is located in the Iranian city of Hamadan , in ancient times known as the Ecbatans . For many centuries it has been the most important pilgrimage site for the Jews of Iran .
| Tomb | |
| Tomb of Esther and Mordecai | |
|---|---|
| Persian. آرامگاه استر و مردخای | |
 | |
| A country |  Iran |
| City | Hamadan |
| Denomination | Judaism |
Description
The tomb consists of two rooms. The first is a chapel where menorahs stand along, chairs are arranged, and a huge Torah is stored in a cabinet hanging on the wall. In the second are the tombs of Esther and Mordecai. Initially, their tombstones were wooden, but after dilapidation and fire, they were replaced by traditional Iranian domed tombstones covered with precious fabrics.
According to the descriptions of 1891, the tomb was crowned with a dome 15 meters high, decorated with blue tiles, most of which are now fallen, and near the tomb there were burial places of respected Jews [1] .
According to Stuart Brown's version, the tomb most likely did not belong to Esfiri , but to Shoshanduht , the wife of the Jewish origin of the Sassanian king Yazdigerd I ( 399 - 420 years ) [2] .
Alternative Location
According to another tradition that arose in the Middle Ages , the graves of Esther and Mordecai are located in the Galilean town of Kfar Baram , near the kibbutz Baram , located along the northern border of Israel with Lebanon [3] [4] .
Eugene Flanden (1840)
Eugene Flanden (1840)
Interior (2008)
Notes
- ↑ Journeys in Persia and Kurdistan: Including a Summer in the Upper Kabun Region and a Visit to the Nestorian Rayahs (unavailable link) , Mrs Bishop, 1891. pg. 133-134.
- ↑ Stuart Brown. Ecbatana // The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archeology in the Near East / Eric M. Meyers. - Oxford University Press, 1997. - Vol. 1. - P. 186–187.
- ↑ Michael Freund, Where is the Tomb of Mordechai and Esther?
- ↑ Home and Family: Who is Buried in Queen Esther's Tomb? , Dei'ah veDibur , February 28, 2001.