Mazor Mausoleum

The Mazor Mausoleum (Template:Langx) is one of the best preserved Roman buildings in Israel, located in El'ad. The Mausoleum, which is the only Roman era building in Israel to still stand from its foundations to its roof, was built for an important Roman man and his wife in the 3rd century AD. Their identities remain a mystery but one can still see the remnants of two sarcophagi in the mausoleum.

History

In the Early Muslim period, Muslims added a mihrab (prayer niche) in the southern wall, indicating the direction of Mecca, and the building became an Islamic holy place called Maqam en-Neby Yahyah ('Shrine of the Prophet John'). Due to its sacredness, the building was preserved through the ages. It functioned as a mosque until the depopulation of the Palestinian village Al-Muzayri'a in 1948.

In July 1949, Israel decided to raze the mausoleum, after the Israeli Ground Forces had used the building for target practice. However, an antiquities inspector managed to stop the destruction.

Nowadays

The Mazor mausoleum has been declared a "national park" and is currently under the management of Israel's National Parks Authority.