The Mosque of Omar

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Manger Square, Bethlehem, Palestine

The Mosque of Omar, located at the corner of Paul VI Street and Manger Square, was built in 1860 in honor of Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, who in the 7th century conquered the Byzantine Empire. The Caliph prayed in the southern aisle of the Basilica of the Nativity, however, in the Pact of Omar, he decreed that the Basilica would remain a Christian place of worship. The document stipulated that Muslims would be allowed to pray there only individually and prohibited the call to prayer (al-Adhan) from being made from the church walls.