Ancient Arabic Inscription Reveals Jewish Connection to Har HaBayis

An ancient Arabic inscription found in a mosque near Chevron has provided the latest evidence of the Jewish connection to the Beis Hamikdash.

The writing, which archeologists believe to be about 1,300 years old, indicates that one of the names used during the early Islamic period for the Dome of the Rock was “Beit Almakdas,” an apparent transliteration of Beis Hamikdash.

The inscription, on a 60cm by 40cm limestone slab, dedicates the mosque to “Beit Almakdas and the al-Aqsa mosque by the Prince Umar ibn al-Khattab…”

“The UNESCO decision [denying the Jewish connection to Yerushalayim], just a few days before the archeological conference, is a coincidence,” the archeologists told Ynet.

Archeologists Asaph Avraham and Perez Reuven said the inscription was found hanging above the prayer area in a mosque in the village of Nuba near Chevron. The mosque was built during the reign of Umar ibn al-Khattab (634-644) and directly links the al-Aqsa Mosque with the Beis Hamikdash, the researchers claim.

“The choice to use the words ‘Beit Almakdas’ is no accident,” Avraham said. “The use of this name is the result of the profound Jewish influence on the development of Islam in … its [early stages].”