Cave of the Seven Sleepers, Amman

The Cave of the Seven Sleepers is an archaeological and religious site located in ar-Rajib, a village east of Amman. The Cave of the Seven Sleepers is an archaeological and religious site located in ar-Rajib, a village east of Amman. According to both Christian and Islamic traditions, this cave is believed to have sheltered the Seven Sleepers, known in Christian sources as the "Sleepers of Ephesus" and in the Qur’an as the "Companions of the Cave." These young men, as the story goes, fled persecution under the Roman emperor Decius around AD 250, seeking refuge in the cave. Miraculously, they reemerged centuries later-309 lunar years, according to the Qur’an. Rediscovered in 1951, this cave is one of several associated with the legend of the Seven Sleepers.

The site's English name refers to the seven sleepers, although historical accounts vary widely about their exact number. Islamic tradition specifically mentions seven sleepers and a dog. At its core, the site features a rock-hewn burial cave with multiple tombs. About 500 meters west lies a Byzantine cemetery. The cave itself is a blend of natural and man-made elements, with its entrance marked by two stone pilasters and niches-remnants of a Byzantine church.

The entrance, facing south, is topped by the remains of a mihrab, which was part of a mosque. Nearby, there are traces of a minaret and four Byzantine pillars. An Arabic inscription on-site notes that the mosque, the second to be built there, was commissioned by the son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, founder of the Tulunid dynasty (r. 868–884). Archaeologists believe a Byzantine church was converted into a mosque during the Umayyad caliphate of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (d. 705), with later renovations under the Tulunids.

Inside the cave are seven sarcophagi, one of which has a hole carved into it, allowing visitors to view the bones inside. Inscriptions on the walls include the basmala and verses from the Qur'an in Kufic script, alongside visible Christian and Islamic symbols.