(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The Cave of the Machpela, the burial place of Abraham, will be open to non-Moslems beginning March 25, according to a statement issued by the president of the Moslem Supreme Council. An admission of 5 shillings will be charged.
The opening was previously reported and denied by the Moslem Supreme Council. The cave, which is under the Mosque at Hebron, has been closed to non-Moslems since 1187. The reason for lifting the ban was said to be a desire on the part of the Moslem Supreme Council to produce a source of income. It was stated that more than $30,000 annually are being collected from visitors to the Mosque of Omar, which is built on the site of King Solomon’s Temple. An admission of 3 shillings is charged there.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
