The Islamic State Is Just 10 Miles Away From This Jewish Prophet's 2,700-Year-Old Tomb. Meet the Christian Family That Has Vowed to Protect It.

As the Islamic State forges on in its deadly quest to establish a caliphate across the Middle East, members of an Iraqi Christian family in what was once the ancient Mesopotamian city of Nineveh are diligently protecting the tomb of a Jewish prophet housed inside a centuries-old synagogue.

With the Islamic State just 10 miles away from the town of Al Qosh, the family members who for decades have been watching over the 2,700-year-old tomb of Nahum, a minor prophet whose book is part of the Old Testament, are continuing to look over the revered monument.

An Assyrian Christian named Asir Salaam Shajaa told Haaretz that his family has been overseeing and protecting the Nahum the Elkoshite tomb since Jews fled the area in the 1950s when the government began driving them out in protest against Israel's formation.

"When the last Jewish people in Al Qosh left, they asked my grandfather to watch over the tomb, to keep it safe. I don’t know much more than that," Shajaa told Haaretz. "Nahum is not our prophet, but he is a prophet, so we must respect that. He’s a prophet, it is simple."

Before the government's crackdown, Nahum's tomb was once visited by thousands of Jewish faithful. Shajaa, who holds the only keys left to the synagogue's gates, still helps to accommodate those who wish to worship there.

See the tomb below:

"I keep an eye on this place. My wife comes and sweeps the floors every week, and when we have a visitor who wishes to see or worship at the tomb, they are told to come to my house," he told Haaretz. "I open the gates for them and let them in. We don’t get many visitors, though."

Shajaa, who follows in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in looking over Nahum's tomb, said that like many Christians, he's hoping to leave Iraq with his family, but that his brother will continue looking over the tomb.

"My brother says he will stay though, if my family gets to leave Iraq my brother and his children will look after the tomb," he said. "It will stay in the family, God willing."

It's not clear how much danger the tomb is currently in, though the Islamic State has repeatedly shown that it is more than willing to destroy historical artifacts, leading some Christians in the region to scramble and take dangerous steps to save historical manuscripts.

(H/T: Christian Post)