More Syriac Graffiti at the Southern Entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Abstract

This article presents nine Syriac graffiti which until now have been overlooked in the literature on the well-known inscriptions at the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. These additional graffiti attest to known and unknown Syriac pilgrims who visited the church. Some can be located within the Ottoman period while the date of others is less clear. Several of the graffiti are of particular interest. One attests to the visitation of a well-known East Syriac cleric, and another provides a clue to the architectural history of the closed eastern door at the southern entrance. This article presents nine Syriac graffiti which until now have been overlooked in the literature on the well-known inscriptions at the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. These additional graffiti attest to known and unknown Syriac pilgrims who visited the church. Some can be located within the Ottoman period while the date of others is less clear. Several of the graffiti are of particular interest. One attests to the visitation of a well-known East Syriac cleric, and another provides a clue to the architectural history of the closed eastern door at the southern entrance.