Tomb Mark of Rachel, Tiberias
Religious Jews revere the tomb mark of Rachel in Tiberias as the burial place of Rachel, Rabbi Akiva’s wife. It is not to be mixed with Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem or the tomb of Rachel in Kinneret Cemetery).
Rachel and Rabbi Akiva
Rachel was the daughter of the rich Jerusalemite Kalbasavua, who fell in love with Akiva, a poor and uneducated shepherd of her father’s flock. She conditioned her marriege that he would go to school, but he later claimed to be too old to study. Rachel insisted, and at the age of 40, Akiva learned to read with his young son.
Twenty-four years later, he became a revered Rabbi but was known for his humbleness and repeated gratitude to his wife, who persuaded him to study. Rabbi Akiva’s tomb mark is also in Tiberias.
The burial site is known from the 13th century as the tomb of Sit Sukeina, the great-granddaughter of Muhammad (tomb marks of Sit Sukeina are also known in Damascus and Medina). Rabbi Bassula, who visited Tiberias in 1522 AD, was the first to suggest that Sit Sukeina’s tomb is (also) the tomb of Rachel, Rabbi Akiva’s wife.
Today, religious Jews regularly visit and pray at this site.
A tour to the tomb mark of Rachel and Tiberias can be combined with a guided day tour of the Galilee.
