The tomb of Nahum is one of many shrines in Iraq traditionally thought by local Jews to be the resting places of biblical figures. As Islamic State’s forces draw nearer, its fate is uncertain. Sheren Khalel and Matthew Vickery write (includes pictures and video):
The crumbling stone walls of one of Iraq’s last synagogues remain mostly standing, nestled in the center of the small town, against the backdrop of the Bayhidhra mountains. Inside purportedly lies the tomb of “Nahum the Elkoshite”—meaning, of the town of al-Qosh—the Hebrew prophet who vividly predicted the fall of Nineveh in the 7th century BCE.
Asir Salaam Shajaa, an Assyrian Christian born and raised in al-Qosh, dusts off the green cloth that lies over the ancient tomb in the center of the run-down synagogue. He is adamant that resting under the heavy stones are really the remains of Prophet Nahum. Like his father and his grandfather before him, Shajaa takes care of the site dutifully, fulfilling a promise made more than 60 years ago to the fleeing Jewish residents of the town. . . .
Before the Jewish exodus from Iraq, Nahum’s tomb was reportedly visited by thousands of worshipers every year, particularly during the Shavuot holiday.
Read more on Haaretz: http://www.haaretz.com/life/archaeology/1.659381