Mausoleum of Abu Hurayra
| |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | |
| Status | Active (as a synagogue) |
| Former denomination | Islam |
| Location | |
| Location | HaSanhedrin Park, Yavne, Rehovot Subdistrict, Central District |
| Country | Israel |
| Coordinates | 31°52′03″N 34°44′36″E / 31.8675°N 34.7432°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mausoleum / maqam |
| Style | Mamluk architecture |
| Completed | c. 13th century (as a tomb) |
| Dome | Two (maybe more) |
The mausoleum of Abu Hurayra, or Rabban Gamaliel's Tomb, is a maqam turned synagogue in Sanhedrin Park in Yavne, Rehovot Subdistrict, in the Central District of Israel, formerly belonging to the depopulated Palestinian village of Yibna. It has been described as "one of the finest domed mausoleums in Palestine."
The mausoleum is located on a cemetery northwest of Yibna that residents have used for burial since at least the Roman period. Since the early 13th century, Muslims identified it as one of the purported burial places of Abu Hurairah, a companion of Muhammad. However, most Arabic sources give Medina as his resting place. The date of the inner tomb chamber is uncertain, with contemporary sources allowing the assumption that a tomb chamber existed at the site and was associated with Abu Hurairah already before Mamluk sultan Baybars's additions. In 1274, Baybars ordered the construction of the riwaq featuring a tripartite portal and six tiny domes together with a dedicatory inscription, with the site expanded further in 1292 by Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil.
The tomb is known to Jews as the tomb of Gamaliel II, the first Nasi of the Sanhedrin after the fall of the Second Temple. A Hebrew travel guide dated to between 1266 and 1291 attributes the tomb to Gamaliel and describes it as being occupied by a Muslim prayer house. The site was frequently visited by Jewish medieval pilgrims. Following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War the mausoleum was officially designated as a shrine for Jews by Israel.
In all likelihood, neither Rabban Gamaliel nor Abu Hurairah are buried in the tomb.