Tomb of Sheikh Ghanem
The shrine is located at the top of Mount Gerizim, at an altitude of 890 meters above sea level. It is in the middle of a vast archaeological area that included an integrated city during the Hellenistic period during the second century BC, followed by the construction of the Church of the Virgin Mary, which dates back to the Byzantine era. This summit is the religious Qibla of the Samaritan sect, and the Samaritan neighborhood is located close to the western side of the shrine site.
The shrine is dedicated to Sheikh Ghanem Al-Ansari, who passed away in 1232 AD. A prominent commander, Sheikh Ghanem fought alongside Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi in the Battle of Hattin in 1187 CE. According to tradition, he lived in this area before moving to Damascus, where he died.
The shrine was constructed on the remains of the northeastern tower of the Church of the Virgin Mary, a Byzantine-era structure that had been destroyed centuries earlier. The shrine's design and dimensions, approximately 6 square meters externally, mirror those of the original church tower. Stones from the old church were repurposed in the shrine's construction. Despite the deliberate neglect by Israeli authorities, the shrine retains its original architectural layout.
The shrine features two rooms: an upper room accessed via a narrow stone staircase on the western side of the ground floor room. The upper room has a single entrance centered on its western facade, overlooking a small cemetery that is believed to have contained the graves of several warriors from Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi's army. During archaeological excavations in the 1980s and 1990s, the occupation authorities removed these graves and isolated the shrine. They sealed off the summit of Mount Gerizim, along with its archaeological sites, including the Al-Ghanem shrine, restricting access to residents and visitors who once appreciated its historical significance and scenic surroundings.