Hz. Daniel the Prophet, King of Babylon II. He is a prophet of Jewish origin who was taken prisoner by Nebuchadnezzar and exiled to Babylon. Hz. He is known as the grandson of the king of Judah, a descendant of David. Known as the “Prophet of Blessings”, Hz. The tomb of the Prophet Daniel is located in the Makam Mosque in the Tarsus district of Mersin. The tomb, which was unearthed during the excavations carried out in 2006, has been opened to visitors since 2014. According to the narrations, Hz. Prophet Daniel lived with lions and the fire he was thrown into did not burn himself. It has an interesting life story stretching from the city of Babylon thousands of years ago to Tarsus.
Hz. Daniel the Prophet; Between 605 and 562 BC, King of Babylon II. He lived in the time of Nebuchadnezzar. Hz. Daniel’s name is mentioned in the Jewish holy book Tanakh. While he is considered a prophet by Christianity and Baha’ism, he is not considered a prophet in Judaism. His name is not mentioned in the Qur’an and hadiths, but he is referred to as a non-mursal prophet and wise person in other Islamic works. 4. Islamic Caliph Hz. Ali, Hz. Daniel said about the Prophet, “He was a prophet who was not a Messenger.” According to the narrations, Hz. Daniel; During the captivity in Babylonian exile, he saved the Jews with his knowledge and prophecies. In exile, he took the name Belteshazzar, to Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, Achaemenid Emperor II. He served until the conquest of the region by Cyrus. Meanwhile, he maintained his faith in God.
Hz. Life of Daniel Prophet
According to legend, the King of Babylon saw in his dream that a boy from the Israelites would shake his throne. Thereupon, he ordered that the sons of Israel be killed. That’s why Hz. When Daniel Prophet was born, he was left in a cave at the top of the mountain by his family to avoid death. Growing up in the cave under the auspices of a male and female lion, Hz. Prophet Daniel became involved with his people after he grew up. But Babylonian ruler II. Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem, destroyed everything and sent the people into exile to Babylon. Among the captives sent into exile, Hz. Daniel Prophet.
The people of Babylon apply to Nebuchadnezzar and demand that the captive Israelites be given to them, and Nebuchadnezzar gives the captives. However, when the people of Babylon saw that their women were taking care of the captive youth, Hz. They want Daniel Prophet and his friends to be killed. The king takes four young men from the captives who were brought out to be killed for their services. One of the four young people chosen by the king, Hz. Daniel is a ‘alaihis-salam’. The king, who takes them to his palace, asks the vizier to train them to serve in his palace. Young people who have been educated and trained for three years are assigned to various jobs in the palace. These young people served in the palace for many years. In time, Hz. Daniel Prophet became a vizier in the palace and he was given prophethood at this time.
The people of Babylon could not accept this situation and Hz. Daniel begins to vilify the Prophet against the king. The king who believed in the people, Hz. Daniel has the Prophet thrown into a dungeon full of lions. But lions won’t do anything to him. Then, because they do not worship idols, he throws them into an oven full of fire, but the fire does not burn them. Realizing that he had various wisdoms, the king told Hz. He asks Daniel to interpret. Hz. Prophet Daniel interprets the dream, and Nebuchadnezzar gives him and his friends many treats. Hz. Daniel often accepts the Prophet before him and consults him and his friends about his affairs. Thus, Nebuchadnezzar Daniel brings the Prophet to superior positions. In the eyes of the king, Prophet Daniel becomes the most honorable and beloved of people.
Hz. Tomb of the Prophet Daniel
In one year, there is a great famine in Tarsus and the people are in a difficult situation. Believed to bring abundance and fertility to the place where he is, Hz. Prophet Daniel is invited to Tarsus. Hz. With the arrival of the Prophet Daniel to Tarsus, abundance occurs. That’s why Hz. The Prophet Daniel is not sent back to Babylon, and when he dies, he is buried in Tarsus, in a place known as the Makam Mosque. He was buried in Tarsus. The grave of Daniel ‘alaihis-salam’ has been very valuable for the people of Tarsus. It was believed that his presence there brought blessings to Tarsus. But after hundreds of years, even who was lying in the grave was forgotten.
Hz. When Tarsus was conquered during the Omar period, Hz. The tomb of Prophet Daniel was opened and a tall corpse wrapped in a cloth woven with gold thread was seen inside a large sarcophagus. Your corpse Hz. It is understood from the lion-shaped ring on his finger that it belongs to Daniel. Thereupon, in order not to be stolen by the Jews, Hz. Upon Ömer’s order, he was deeply buried in his previous place. The water of a small branch of the Berdan River flowed over the grave. The grave is secured so that no one can touch it.
During the last repair of the mosque, thick and regular grating irons were found at the water inlet at the back and bottom of the mosque at very deep depths. Hz. The corpse of Prophet Daniel is far below the water passing through these battlements. In the excavations carried out in 2006, Hz. Along with the tomb of the prophet Daniel, 36 more tombs were unearthed. After the excavations and landscaping in the area in question, since 2014, Hz. It was opened to visit as the Tomb of the Prophet Daniel.
