The Holy Land.AN EXCURSION OF FAITH AND HISTORY

PHOTOGRAPHS AND WORDS BY

AIMAN SYAKIR ABDUL HARIS

contents.

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Jerusalem of Gold..........................................4Temple Mount: Facts and Myths.................8Mount Zion..................................................17Mount of Olives...........................................25Tomb of Moses.............................................30From Jericho, with Temptation..................34Hebron, the City of Abraham.....................38Halhul, where Jonah Rests..........................46Jerusalem, in a nutshell...............................53About the Photographer..............................54

I dedicate this glorious book to my dad, Abdul Haris Abu Bakar, my best friends Ahmad Amsyar and Iman Nurhaqim. To Madam Faniza and Madam Masariah, who always support me and as well to my dear friends Ina Amira and Ainul Afifi Zafirah.And also to all my friends unmentioned. Nothing can be possible without you guys!

Jerusalem, where they call it ‘the safest place on Earth’. When something happens to a Muslim, the whole Islamic world will know. When a Christian gets hurt, the whole Chris-tian world will respond. And when a Jew gets attacked, the entire Jewish so-

ciety will be aware.

The uniqueness of Jerusalem lies in the status of the city being a holy site for three religions – Christianity, Judaism and the third holiest site in Is-lam. It is where Jesus is said to be cru-cified, where Muhammad ascended to Heaven in the Night Trip, and where remnants of the Jewish temple said to

be built around 3,000 years ago.

For centuries and centuries, countless people and empires have conquered the city of Jerusalem. The Romans, the Crusaders, the Abbasid caliphate and the Ottomans, to name a few. Many of these civilizations have settled at the city with one reason – to

claim the land as theirs. However, Jerusalem is a neutral ground to be shared by Muslims, Christians and

Jews from all around the world.

The mixed architecture of the buildings influenced by various

civilizations are one of things that make Jerusalem most unique. The Old City of Jerusalem lies behind the walls,

built by the Ottoman monarch Sulei-man the Magnificent. With Muslims, Christians and Jews living together in peace and harmony behind the walls, that amazes me how they can cope re-ligious tolerance and live without ra-

cial abuse. Jerusalem, despite being a small city,

yet it is packed with places to discover. It is never enough to visit there just once. That is the reason why

millions make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem every year.

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Jerusalem of Gold

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“Where are you from? Are you Muslims?” asked the Israeli sol-diers guarding the boundaries of the Temple Mount. They would restrict non-Muslims from entering the area. With a confident reply, “Malay-sia” we were allowed in. The feeling of entering the boundaries of the third holiest site in Islam is surreal.

The Temple Mount, or ‘al-Haram ash-Sharif ’ as the Arabs called it is indeed historic. Jews refer it as the holiest place in Judaism, the place where the Temple stood before being destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Muslims believe that Mu-hammad was transported from the

Sacred Mosque in Mecca to al-Aqsa during the Night Journey.

As you walk along the Tem-ple Mount, you can find the Dome of the Rock, another holy site of Mus-lims, influenced by Byzantine archi-tecture. The minarets are derived from various architectures, some of them being Mameluke and Otto-man as well. The architecture of the al-Aqsa mosque under the dome are of the Corinthian order, and made from Italian white marble. These are what makes the Temple Mount very

unique.

However, remnants of the Temple still remained in the Western

Wall, where the Jews now yearn and pray for redemption and revival. The Jews call it the ‘HaKotel HaMa’aravi’ , the wall has become a unique place of prayer, and a symbol of Jewish na-

tional unity.

Fights have been ongoing be-tween Jews and Muslims by claiming that the Temple was theirs. Bomb-ing attempts have been plotted by Jew extremists and not to mention, havoc by the radical Muslims. It ex-plains why the Israeli army guards the boundaries, and it is a good step

to ensure the peace of Jerusalem.

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Temple Mount: Facts and Myths

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Another site associated with the Temple Mount is Mount Zion. As the highest peak of the old city of Jerusalem, it hosts some of the most iconic landmarks including the Dormition Abbey, King David’s Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper. The Chamber of the Holo-caust, the precursor of Yad Vashem, is also located on Mount Zion.

According to local tradition, it was on the Dormition Abbey, near the site of the Last Supper, that the Blessed Virgin

Mary fell asleep. In Ortho-doxy and Catholicism, as in the language of scrip-ture, death is often called a “sleeping” or “falling asleep”. The Room of the Last Supper, where it is said that Jesus had the last supper with his disciples was turned into a mosque as you can see the mehrab and Quranic verses.

Mount Zion also hosts King David’s tomb. It is a site-turned-synagogue viewed as the burial place of David, King of Israel, according to a tradition beginning in the 12th cen-

tury. However the authen-ticity of the tomb has been debatable as according to the Bible, David was actu-ally buried within the City of David together with his forefathers.

In overview, Mount Zion is rich with architecture, blended with three different faiths. A subtle, vast mountain full of heritage.

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Mount Zion

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A large mountain full of bodies waiting to be resurrected in Judgement Day, The Mount of Ol-ives has been used as a Jewish cem-etery for over 3,000 years, and holds approximately 150,000 graves, mak-ing it central in the tradition of Jew-

ish cemeteries.

According to Christian be-liefs, the Mount is also revered to be where the Gospel took place, and where Jesus ascended to Heaven. Be-cause of that, it has been a place of worship for Christianity, and many

Christians come to the Mount every year for their pilgrimage.

The Jews put the Mount as a very special place in their heart. The resting place of many figures mentioned in their Books; Zechari-ah, Absalom as well as their former Prime Minister Menachem Begin, who requested to be buried here. Many Jews have wanted to be buried on the Mount of Olives since antiq-uity, based on the Jewish tradition that when the Messiah comes, the resurrection of the dead will begin

there.

The population in Mount of Olives is 130,000, dominated by Muslim and Christian Arabs, while only one controversial Jewish family resides there. It also hosts tombs of some Muslim figures, such as Rā-bi’ah al-Basrī and Salman the Per-

sian.

On the peak also has a very picturesque view of the Old City, surrounded by the new area of Jeru-

salem.

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Mount of Olives

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In the middle of the Judean wil-derness lies the tomb of Moses. It is a shrine with a mosque built on top of it. The Tomb has been the site of annual pil-

grimage since the time of Saladin.

The tomb is venerated by Mus-lims as a holy site as Moses, or Nabi Musa is a prophet of their religion. Around it is the grave of Muslim Bedouins. The bi-tuminous rocks around the shrine add to its mystique and sanctity, as they are flammable and used by pilgrims as fuel

for warmth and cooking.

The Maqam represents Islamic architecture. It is a huge storey build-ing topped by a complex of Domes. The building consists of a large courtyard sur-rounded by over 120 rooms. The main mosque, with a minaret lies against the

Western Wall of the courtyard.

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Tomb of Moses

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As one of the cities believed to the oldest in the world, Jericho is located 258 metres below sea level in a mountainous area with abundant land and fresh springs. It is described in the Hebrew Bible as the “City of Palm Trees”. Copious springs in and around the city attracted

human habitation for thousands of years.

Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of more than 20 successive settlements in Jericho, the first of which dates back 11,000 years. The constant sunshine, rich alluvial soil, and abundant water from the spring

have always made Jericho an attractive place for settle-ment.

In Jericho lies the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus is said to be tempted by the devil. It has become a tourist attraction and pilgrimage site for Christians. There is also a 1,300-metre cable car to the top of the

Mount, where there is the Monastery of Temptation.

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FromJericho, with Temptation

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The City of Abra-ham, Hebron located in the south of Jerusalem is uniquely a city shared by Israelis and Palestinians, Arabs and Jews for such a long time. Also known as al-Khalil by the Arabs due to the city being the resting place of Abraham, they call themselves as the

Khalilis.

Hebron is consid-ered the second holiest site in Judaism, and sacred as well in Islam, with Abra-ham being the father of the two races – Arab and Jew. No wonder how the Arabs and Jews consider them-selves as cousins. Let us re-

member in the holy books that Abraham purchased a land here as a burial plot, which today stands as the Ibrahimi Mosque, as the Arabs say, or famously known as the Cave of the

Patriarchs.

The Cave of the Patriarchs now serves as part mosque part syna-gogue, which is divided by Abraham’s tomb. These are one of the proofs that the people here can live in peace in a community. Famous biblical and Qura-nic figures including Isaac, Rebecca, Sarah, Leah, and Jacob are laid to rest here

as well.

Before entering the mosque, what stands before it is an Israeli mil-itary checkpoint. Who could ever forget the 1994 Hebron massacre? Where hundreds of praying Arabs lost their lives to radical Jew Baruch Goldstein of the far-right Kach move-ment. The inhumane act was even denounce in the Israeli Parliament, or the Knesset. It is respectable on how Israel has made se-rious efforts to keep their occupied territories safe.

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Hebron, the City of Abraham

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An 11 kilometre distance from Hebron, through the Jewish set-tlements will take you to Halhul. It is a serene city governed by the Palestinian Authority.Halhul is the resting place for some of the Biblical and Quranic fig-ures, notably Jonah. It is located in a mosque called “Masjid Yunus”.

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Halhul, Where Jonah Rests

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It is indeed that Jerusalem is a land filled with blessings. The feeling is exceptional, even when compared with going to Mecca and Medina, as there are people of three religions living here in tol-

erance and harmony.

The excursion opened my eyes as well, with everything I heard before going there as a pro-paganda. The tensions and fighting, are nothing here but they are all in Gaza, which is far away from this

peaceful land.

And people, either Jews, Muslims or Chris-tians reside without any racial supremacy and get along well. Most people see Jews as evil and Mus-lims as terrorists. Howev-er, there is no religion that teaches bad virtues and is the wrongdoings of the ex-tremists, radical thugs and people who do not under-stand the true teachings of

God.

As for the Israe-li government, they are not as bad as the Mus-lim world interpret. They have made serious efforts

to keep peace in the Holy Land after it was annexed in 1967. And their military and police do no harm to people, unless they are a

threat.

And it was a very interesting trip indeed, and when I reached back to my homeland, I realised I left my heart at Jerusa-lem. Hoping that one day I will return to pick up my heart back. May the land stays peaceful and harmo-

nious forever.

Jerusalem, in a nutshell

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About the Photographer “My interest in photography is a blessing in life,” says Aiman Syakir Abdul Haris. Born in 24th May 1998 in Johor Bahru, Aiman was raised as an only child. As for now, he is studying in Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah Putrajaya. As he grew, Aiman never had interest in photos, and had the habit of drawing. But on the age of 15, he got his first camera, the Nikon D3100. “I felt happy with it because photography is when you get something realistic, compared to drawings that are sometimes exaggerating,” As being used to snap photos of school events, his most memorable moment was being a matchday photographer of Johor Darul Ta’zim. “It was... Surreal. Amaz-ing. I got the chance to snap pictures of my favourite footballers live in action!”

Aiman still uses his D3100 and a Nokia Lumia 1020 for his photos. “It’s not about expensive professional cameras and lavish lenses, it’s how you master using it,”

Jerusalem, the holy land of three faiths. Yet it is bounded with preposterous rumours and wild accusations.

In this photo journal, the writer proves all the rumours false as he travels across the borders of the iron walls, through the

Judean wilderness and reaching the iconic Temple Mount.

A must have for anyone wanting to know the truth behind what lies in Jerusalem.

The Holy Land.

A BUSAS ProductionsProject