MOSQUE OF OMAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 3, 28 June 1911, Page 3

MOSQUE OF OMAR.

I Tl-T.KISII OFFICIALS' TRIAL, j CHARGE OP DESECRATION. Constantinople, .June IS. The sheiks ami other officials who are charged, with being implicated in the desecration of the Mosque of Omar, in Jerusalem, have been sent under an armed escort to Beyront, where they will be tried before a special court. The specific charge against t-hese officials is that of having permitted the Parker expedition, which was recently engaged in areha-elogical research in Jerusalem, to profane the sacred temple while excavating for relics. EXPKDITION'S DISCOVER!ES. BODIES 5000 YEARS OLD. POTTERY OF 3000 B.C. Further details of the discoveries made in Jerusalem by the Parker expedition, which has been working there for two seasons, show that during the whole period of 'the operations Mount Ophel was the objective, th.is being regarded \ as the -site of the ancient Zion. The object of the expedition was to discover the burial places of David and Solomon. Mount Ophel is now covered by cabbage gardens, which supply Jerusalem with vegetables. Nothing but these is visible, the ancient remains being covered with thirty to forty feet of debris and soil. Last season's work, which began in August and ended at Easter, had resalts of the most valuable character. Before tunnels had been driven very far under the hill the expedition discovered a number ol natural caves situated at a highly higher level than the tunnel itself, and after a quantity of debris had, been removed, human bodies were found lying on natural shelves of rock. These were clearly remains of Jebuzites who had been buried beiore Jerusalem was taken by King David, and were probably of the date of 3<X/.i B.C. There were indications that the bodies had merely been laid on their rock slabs without any covering except a few stones. This was probably one of the earliest forms of burial discovered. In an adjoining cavern the excavators found Jebuzite pottery of the same period, which gave evidence of a very high state of civilisation, quite equal to that of the Israelites of perhaps 2000 years later. At a lower level the diggers came across rock-cut chambers, with regular liicl' s, evidently intended for the reception of corpses, investigation showed that these houses of the dead had, at a ln/ter period, been used by the Israelite as dwelling-places, marks of grease ant! quantities of charcoal being found. Some Tsraelitish lamps were also found in the niches.

Thp discoveries are of the highest scientific interest, as, although there has been long and diligent search, these are the first Jebuzite remains ever found in the Holv Citv.

Captain the Hon. Montagu Parker, head of the expedition, recently gave some account of the discoveries that had been made.

"Our quest," he said, "was based on a cipher discovered by a Swede, which urportcd to show the exact position on Mount Ophel (or Moiint Moriah) where lay buried old treasures of Israel, including vessels of ritual and ancient manuscripts. At this moment it is not possible to say how far the cipher is correct, but certain very valuable scientific results have been achieved. We have found beyond all doubt, oh the result of our work, which was carried on under circumstances of great physical hardship, that the ancient city of David was not 011 Mount Zion. as i.s usually accepted, but 011 Mount Ophel..

"In the course of our work we have driven .galleries in all directions along the face of Mount Ophel, and the results clearly confirm the Biblical account of the impregnability of the position in those ancient days, The collections we hftve made, frhieh are in the hands of the Turkish authorities, are absolutely unique. Much of the pottcrv dates back as far as 3000 B.C. As the news of these discoveries became public knowledge round Jerusalem they naturally gave rise to great, excitement and interest, but not in the direction of any wish that our work should be stopped."