Jewish documentation

According to the 8th-century rabbinical text Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer, Ezekiel was buried in Babylonia and mention of his tomb is first made by the 10th-century Jewish sage Sherira Gaon.^[3] Ever since, Babylonian Jews were known to have visited the tomb and only in the 12th-century did Muslims begin to associate the site with an Islamic prophet.^[3] The German-Jewish medieval explorer Petachiah reported in around 1180 that the Jews held the keys to the site and relates that between 60,000 and 80,000 Jews converged on the tomb during the week of Sukkot.^[4] The Jewish explorer and writer Benjamin of Tudela mentioned that there were several synagogues at the location and noted that Muslim notables also frequented the site to pray.^[5]

Ownership dispute

In 1860, the tomb became a source of contention when Muslims attempted to wrest control of the site. The British consul in Baghdad attempted to resolve the issue of ownership and wrote that the Jews claimed that "the tomb has been in their possession for upwards of 2,000 years and that their right to it has never before been questioned".^[6] Upon the intervention of the Anglo-Jewish Association, an Ottoman government emissary from Constantinople decided in favour of the Jewish claim.^[7] At the turn of the 20th century, the Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia stated that the tomb is "more venerated by Jews than it is by Muhammadans."^[8]

Until the mid-20th century, over 5,000 Jews used to come to the tomb from Baghdad and other major cities during Passover.^[9][10] During this period, the tomb walls contained various inscriptions, including three poems honouring various donors. An adjoining room contained five tombs said to belong to five Rabbis who transmitted and wrote the Babylonian Talmud. Another room was referred to as "Elijah's Cave" and a third room contained the tombs belonging to Baghdad's prominent Daniel family, who were custodians of the site.^[7] A Hebrew plaque above the doorway dating from 1810 read "this is the tomb of our master Yehezkel the Prophet, son of Buzi the Kohen, may his merit shield us and all Israel. Amen."^[11]

2003 invasion of Iraq

After the fall of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in 2003, the new Iraqi authorities redeveloped the tomb complex and converted the old synagogue courtyard into an area for Muslim prayer. Some Hebrew-language Jewish inscriptions from the tomb chamber were removed and replaced with Quranic verses. The large new Al-Nukhailah Mosque currently encompasses the tomb structure,^[12] with Muslims believing the tomb to be that of the unknown Islamic prophet Dhul-Kifl, who is often identified with Ezekiel.^[3]

On the walls inside, Hebrew script appears under a dome with medieval Islamic floral designs.

The site's status was reportedly protected while under Saddam Hussein's regime.^[13] In 2020, it was reported that Iraqi authorities were transforming the synagogue at Ezekiel's Tomb into a mosque.^[14]