(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.
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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.
