The traditional tomb of the prophet Nahum, housed inside an 800-year-old synagogue in Al-Qosh, Iraq, has been saved from destruction. The structure has been deserted since the 1950s when the Jewish population in the area fled Iraqi persecution, and has been deteriorating ever since due to the elements. Recently a US organization called ARCH – the Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage – sent a team of engineers to temporarily secure the crumbling building with scaffolding, ropes and support beams. They hope this will hold the synagogue together for at least three years while they raise the funds needed for the planned restoration project. The prophet Nahum was from the town of Elkosh (Na 1:7), which some have identified as Al-Qosh, Iraq. Other scholars believe Elkosh was a town near Capernaum (lit. "village of Nahum") or a village called Elkesi near Ramah or Elcesei in the West Bank. Writing in the seventh century BC, Nahum prophesied the fall of Assyria, which occurred in 612 BC at the hands of the Babylonians.
Off-site Links:
- https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/03/nahums-tomb-in-iraq-restoration-begins.html
- http://patternsofevidence.com/blog/2018/04/13/prophet-nahums-tomb-peeks-above-ground/
