Archaeologists Discover Muslim Artefacts Proving Jerusalem's Jewish Identity

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz : Dec 8, 2017
Breaking Israel News

"At the beginning of the Muslim rule, not only didn't they object to the Jews, but they saw themselves as the continuation of the Jewish people. We wish that many Muslims will be exposed to this knowledge, which is part of their own religious and cultural heritage." – Assaf Avraham

(Israel) — [Breaking Israel News] Israeli archaeologists announced to the press a discovery of 1,300-year-old coins from the Islamic Umayyad Dynasty imprinted with an image of the menorah from the Jewish Temple. This new discovery joins a trove of artifacts that show Muslim acknowledgment of Jerusalem's Jewish identity. (Photo Credit: Joshua Wander)

Assaf Avraham of Bar-Ilan University, and Peretz Reuven of the Hebrew University made their announcement on Wednesday.

"The Jewish symbol which the Muslims were using was the menorah [the gold seven-branch candelabra from the Temple], which appeared on several coins and other early Islamic artifacts," said Avraham to the Jerusalem Post.

"The menorah coins bear the Shahada Arabic inscription on one side: ‘There is no god but Allah,' while the menorah appears in the center of the coin. The other side bears the inscription: ‘Muhammad [is the] messenger of God.'"

This is consistent with a find the two archaeologists made last year of pottery shards bearing …

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