KT in Israel: Meet the Arab caretaker of largest Jewish cemetery

Jerusalem - 'I grew up here with my father. I used to accompany him to the graveyard'

Ibrahim Sayyed, 59, lives among the dead of Jerusalem. He is the Muslim caretaker of the world’s largest Jewish cemetery located atop the Mount of Olives. The sprawling stretch of land peppered with tombstones — both new and dating back to hundreds of years — and directly overlooking Kidron valley and the Old city with its holy sites, is where Sayyed spends most part of his day.

He belongs to the Arab minority among Israeli citizens, and is the third-generation of caretakers for the Jewish cemetery. Jews were burying their dead since 3,000 years, and still continue the practice. “I have been taking care of the graveyard for more than 40 years now. I took over the mantle from my father and grandfather,” Sayyed told Khaleej Times.

Though, there is no official data on the number of tombs, it is estimated to be anything between 60,000 and 150,000 tombs from various periods in history.

“I grew up here with my father. I used to accompany him to the graveyard. So, I am proud to continue his work,” said Sayyed who is married and with six grown up children. They are aged between 24 and 32.

On a typical day, Sayyed starts his work from 7am till 2pm. “But when you are serving the dead, there is no fixed time. A death can happen anytime and I am on call 24/7,” says Sayyed.

According to Jewish beliefs, it is forbidden to leave the deceased unburied overnight and the deceased must be buried immediately after passing.