Entrance to Al-Raqeem Cave, Amman (Jordan).
Entrance to Al-Raqeem Cave - Amman (Jordan).
A sign at the Cave of the Seven Sleepers noting the site's mention in the Holy Qur'an.

The Cave of the Seven Sleepers (Arabic: كهف الرقيم, Kahf ar-Raqīm) is a historical and religious site in al-Rajib, a village to the east of Amman.[1] It is claimed that this cave housed the Seven Sleepers (Arabic: اصحاب الكهف, aṣḥāb al kahf)—a group of young men who, according to Byzantine and Islamic sources, fled the religious persecution of Roman emperor Decius.[2] Legend has it that these men hid in a cave around 250 AD, emerging miraculously about 309 years later.[3] Considerable debate remains concerning the exact location of this cave; various locations in Turkey including Afşin, Tarsus, and Mount Pion been suggested in addition to the al-Rajib site. The site is surrounded by the remains of two mosques and a large Byzantine cemetery. It is near the Sabah bus station and approximately a fifteen-minute bus ride from Amman's Wihdat Station.[4]

Religious lore

Islamic

[Mention] when the youths retreated to the cave and said, 'Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance.' So We cast [a cover of sleep] over their ears within the cave for a number of years. Then We awakened them that We might show which of the two factions was most precise in calculating what [extent] they had remained in time. It is We who relate to you, [O Muhammad], their story in truth. Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.

Some argue that the Cave of Seven Sleepers is the location referred to in Surah al-Kahf of the Qur'an.[5] The surah is named after the Cave – al-Kahf – in honor of the alleged piety of the seven sleepers. [6] The site's connection with Islamic heritage led to the participation of various Islamic leagues in its exploration and excavation. This cave was identified with Qur'anic record due to the name of nearby village al-Rajib, which is etymologically similar to the word al-Raqīm, mentioned in al-Kahf. Some also argue the site's correspondence with the Surat al-Kahf based on the finding of a dog's skull near the cave door.[7]

Origins of the cave's name

The English name of this site refers to the seven sleepers who sought refuge in the cave, despite that accounts differ widely concerning the number of sleepers. The canonical Islamic text refers to seven sleeper and a dog. The site's Arabic name, Arabic: كهف الرقيم, Kahf ar-Raqīm, is based on the triliteral root Arabic: ر-ق-م, denoting writing or calligraphy. It may refer to the village or mountain that the cave is located in. It also may refer to the book that recorded the names of the seven sleepers, as is suggested in Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari's exegetical work Tafsir al-Tabari. The nearby village's modern name, al-Rajib, could be a corruption of the term al-Raqīm.[8]

Discovery and excavation

In 1951, Jordanian journalist Taysir Thabyan discovered the Cave of Seven Sleepers. He published its photo on the journal of the Syrian Military Police and informed the Jordanian Department of Antiquities.[9] The department assigned Jordanian archaeologist Rafiq al-Dajani the task of research and exploration in the cave.[10] They found eight smaller sealed tombs inside the main cave, with the bones preserved inside.[11]

Other sites

This is one of the seven sites,[12] attributed to the Seven Sleepers legend:

  1. The Cave of Seven Sleepers, Ashabe Kahf , Tarsus, Turkey
  2. Tuyuq Khojam Mazar, Turpan, China
  3. Cave of the Seven Sleepers, Amman, Jordan
  4. Eshab-ı Kehf Cave, (de) Ephesus, Turkey
  5. Mosquée de Sept Dormants, Chenini, Tunisia
  6. Mar Musa, Syria
  7. Grotto of the Seven Sleepers, İzmir, Turkey
  8. Eshab-ı Kehf Cave, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey

References

  1. ↑ "Seven Sleepers Cave - Turkish News". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  2. ↑ "Seven Sleepers of Ephesus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  3. ↑ "Grotto of the Seven Sleepers in Ephesus | Turkish Archaeological News".
  4. ↑ "Cave of the Seven Sleepers". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  5. ↑ Patel, D. S. "Jordan". Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim world. Gale Credo Reference. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  6. ↑ Al-Qur'an. p. Surah 18.
  7. ↑ "لأول مرة: بالدليل صوت وصورة.. هنا رقد "فتية الكهف" وهذه قبورهم". دنيا الوطن. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  8. ↑ "Cave of the Seven Sleepers". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  9. ↑ بن عبدالله المغلوث, سامي. أطلس الأماكن في القرآن الكريم. العبيكان للنشر. p. 146.
  10. ↑ "لأول مرة: بالدليل صوت وصورة.. هنا رقد "فتية الكهف" وهذه قبورهم". دنيا الوطن. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  11. ↑ "Cave of the Seven Sleepers". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "Cave of Ashabe Kahf". Madain Project. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
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