MADINAH, 20 July 2006 — Residents of Madinah are calling on the city’s municipality to take responsibility in caring for neglected historical sites, especially a cemetery that includes the grave of a leading companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Residents say that builders, who were recently constructing a bridge over the Al-Aqiq Valley, demolished walls surrounding the cemetery of Erwa ibn Al-Zubair in Madinah. Parts of the cemetery’s other walls, located on the Al-Meeqat and Al-Abyar roads, crumbled in recent floods, which also washed out various graves in the cemetery.
According to people living close by, the Madinah Municipality failed to take positive steps in taking care of the cemetery, which is locally known as Erwa and is one of the city’s most important and historical sites.
Madinah resident, Abdul Aziz Al-Oufi, said that it is very important that the city’s cemeteries are looked after. He said that the dead cannot protect themselves so it is imperative that the living protect their dignity for them.
“What is the role of the municipality when it comes to taking care of the cemeteries?” he asked, adding that the authorities should pay more attention to the cemeteries in and around Madinah because it is disturbing to see bones and skulls lying around.
Sultan Al-Oufi, another resident, said that some cemeteries were being turned into rubbish tips. “It is a painful scene to see some of the graves opening up and bones appearing each time it rains. The municipality should get their act together because this is against our religion and I do not want this to happen to me or any of my relatives.”
It seems that the Erwa ibn Al-Zubair Cemetery is just another notch on the long list of important historic sites that have been left to decay in Madinah. Other sites that have been neglected include the Osman Well, which is located in the Al-Zeraa neighborhood and was donated by the third caliph for the use of Muslims; another important site that has been destroyed is the Ring Well in the Al-Awali neighborhood. The well is famous for being the place in which the ring of the Prophet fell into.
Local newspapers have previously covered issues relating to the way the authorities neglect cemeteries in and around the Kingdom. One of the most famous is the Al-Faisaliah cemetery in Jeddah. One cemetery in Jizan was turned into an advertising site for the World Cup and a cemetery in Sebya was turned into stables.
