The posts from 20-28 March 2014 were originally formatted for Tumblr. Click here to see the original blog.
Above, Muslims pray in one of two Mosques that flank the Church of the Resurrection. This is the Omar Mosque. It is dedicated to the seventh century Caliph who overcame and took control of Jerusalem. On entering the Church of the Resurrection he was invited by the Patriarch to pray but refused and went outside for prayer. He made a Pact which stood for four centuries by doing so, that this Church should be protected as a place of Christian significance and never be turned into a Mosque. In 1009 however the church was completely destroyed and the rebuilt church stands now only about half the size. Omar’s Pact is remembered as a model of Muslim intentions for peace and this Mosque into which our party of Christians was welcomed carries the wording of the Pact engraved on its facade. (Copyright © Tim Stratford 2014)
