The walled, old city is at the heart and soul of Occupied Jerusalem, housing the Al Aqsa Mosque/Haram Al Sharif, the Wailing Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Jerusalem was conquered by Israel in 1967 and annexed as the undivided capital of the Jewish state, an act not recognised by any country, not even the United States. The Palestinians earnestly seek the eastern part of the city as the capital of their future state. The city is sacred to the three monotheistic religions, and it has today become the most highly disputed and prized real estate in the world.
In this cauldron, one finds an oasis — the Indian Hospice. The "blood soaked" old city, a battleground for many invaders from the time of the Romans, the Crusaders, the Turks, the British and eventually the Israelis, has a unique feel and quality. Entering from Herod's Gate — one of the many renowned gates, each with a history of its own — and walking up a stairway to the right leads to the Indian Hospice gate.
I am welcomed by Nazeer Ansari and taken inside to meet his father, Shaikh Mohammad Munir Ansari, director and trustee, in his office, which proudly displays the Indian flag and a plaque on the wall presented by President Pratibha Patil, conferring on him the "Pravasi Bharatiya Samman" for "his valuable contribution in promoting the honour and prestige of India and in fostering the interests of overseas Indians". After introductions and pleasantries they give me a historical overview.
The Indian presence in Jerusalem goes back to more than 700 years, when a well-known Indian wali (saint), Baba Fareed Shakarganj from Ajodhan, now known as Pak Pattan, came on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land as part of his 18-year tour of Islamic countries. He was a direct descendant of the second Caliph of Islam, Omar Bin Khattab.
Impressed by his piety, the local community offered him an accommodation during his stay — a property comprising two small rooms attached to a mosque. After his departure, these rooms and the mosque were often visited by Indian pilgrims in the city. This site, which was known as Zawiya Al Faridiah, was granted to the hospice and dedicated as a charitable Wakf property.
With time and additional donations by Indian merchants who travelled and stayed there, the area of the hospice grew to the present 7 dunums (7,000 square metres), minutes away from one of the holiest sites of the three monotheistic religions. This location came to be known as Al Zawiya Al Hindiya (the Indian Hospice), a place where travellers and pilgrims could find rest and comfort.
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Britain was designated by the League of Nations as the mandatory power in Palestine, with Jerusalem as the administrative capital. The Islamic Higher Supreme Council, headed by Al Haj Ameen Al Hussaini, the Grand Mufti of Palestine, was accordingly established in Jerusalem to supervise Islamic affairs. In 1922, the council sent a delegation to India to collect donations for the renovation of Al Aqsa Mosque. Members of this delegation met Indian leaders of the Khilafat Movement represented by Moulana Mohammad Ali (who died in London on January 3, 1931, and was buried upon his request at Al Aqsa Mosque), his brother Shawkat Ali, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari and Hakim Ajmal Khan, with whom they also discussed the affairs of the Indian Hospice. They conveyed to the Indian authorities the need for an Indian representative to reside in Jerusalem to take care of the running of the hospice.
Shaikh Munir Ansari recalled that his father had a dream a few months ago that "he is entering a white house and is surprised but very happy there", and with the delegation's request he felt it was divinely ordained for him to pack up and leave for Jerusalem.
The late Shaikh Nazer Hassan Ansari from Ambehta, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, came to Jerusalem in 1924. There he married a local woman, who bore him four daughters and a son.
He also married an Indian woman who travelled on pilgrimage to the city, and their four sons and two daughters have long left and settled in other parts of the world. Today the present trustee, who was born in 1928, and his sister are the only ones who remain.
During the time of the late Shaikh Ansari, from 1924 to 1951, he paid several visits to India and collected donations from leading personalities. The funds were used to construct new buildings on the land of the hospice and to renovate old ones. The new structures were named after the most generous donors, such as Osman Manzil for Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh nizam of Hyderabad, Reza Hall for Nawab Syed Mohammad Reza Ali, the 11th nawab of Rampur, and Sadiq Gate for Sadiq Mohammad Khan, the 12th amir of Bahawalpur.
During the Second World War, from 1939 to 1945, the Indian Hospice was utilised as a leave camp for Indian soldiers who served with the British troops in the Middle East. The general headquarters established two wings on the hospice's property as a gift, the Delhi Wing and the Travancore Wing, once the troops left the Levant.
After the war the British Mandate in Palestine ended.
Shaikh Ansari passed away in 1951 and according to the traditions followed at the hospice, his eldest son Mohammad Munir Ansari was chosen at the recommendation of the official and local councils to inherit the position. A document was issued by the Sharia Court in Jerusalem proclaiming Shaikh Mohammad Munir Ansari as the director and trustee of the Indian Hospice Wakf from 1952.
Shaikh Munir Ansari recalls fondly: "My father, with his Indian background, had very good relations with both the British and the Palestinians, and during his administration he talks about The Golden Age, between 1952 and 1967, during which hundreds of Indian pilgrims visited, including many from South Africa — most documented in the guestbook."
It was a time, he says, that "the place looked like a small village in India, with women washing clothes, cooking and living communally". But the Six Day War was to change all that. In 1967, the hospice was bombed and the house fell on the Ansari family, killing three and seriously injuring 15 others. Thereafter, the hospice "stopped functioning and its activities were frozen for about 45 years".
Shaikh Munir Ansari's main achievement has been "to hold on to the property", as every square metre has been fought for in the old city of Occupied Jerusalem. The Ansari family can also be commended for "keeping" the Indian Hospice, as it is the only one that is still running.
In 1992, with diplomatic relations established between India and the State of Israel, and with an Indian embassy established in Tel Aviv, things changed for the Ansaris and the Indian Hospice.
The government of India has since granted financial assistance for the renovation and upkeep of this historical and religious monument, which is now slowly getting back in shape.
After this overview, we move to the courtyard to indulge in afternoon tea and biscuits in the shade of palm trees. Shaikh Munir Ansari is proud to serve me "Indian tea with milk", unlike Palestinian tea, which is served with mint. "I insist on having my tea with milk," he says, smiling. After tea, Nazeer shows me the renovated rooms, in keeping with the ambience of the old city.
The Ansari family has kept a record of visitors to the hospice, both old and new, and a library is being set up with memorabilia and books for guests to read about Occupied Jerusalem and India. Walking around and seeing the touches of India in the details makes one sense the pains this family has taken to hold on to its heritage. "We all have Indian passports," Nazeer tells me.
Recent visits by Indian VIPs, and especially one by the foreign minister, have led to funds being allocated for the "renovation" of the room where Baba Fareed stayed during his pilgrimage.
The Ansari family, custodians of the Indian Hospice since 1924, continue to care for it and look forward to welcoming Indian pilgrims and visitors to the spiritual city.
Rafique Gangat, author of Ye Shall Bowl on Grass, is based in Occupied Jerusalem.
