Bethlehem: Rachael's Tomb
Rachel’s Tomb is marked in the north of Bethlehem on the basis of Genesis 35:19–20. Rachel, wife of Jacob and one of the four matriarchs of Israel, died in Bethlehem while giving birth to her second son, Benjamin, the youngest child of Jacob, and she was buried here. The Crusaders built the first structure over her burial place, but it was known as a place of pilgrimage before then and a small pyramid was set here. The present building, a square domed structure containing a large tomb covered with a velvet cloth, was erected by Sir Moses Montefiore in the mid-19th century.
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