Monday, October 14, 2013

Burial Site of King Hiram

King Hiram of Tyre is a significant character in Craft Masonry. He is introduced into Masonry as a friend and ally of King Solomon who assists the latter in building the famous House of God in Jerusalem. What isn't as widely known is that he was also an ally of King David, Solomon's father, and assisted him in the building of his palace in Jerusalem. The city of Tyre is an ancient Phoenician seaport and is located in what is now known as Lebanon and is currently known as Sur. It was from Lebanon the famous cedar found in both David's palace and King Solomon's temple came from. Aside from supplies, King Hiram was known for supplying artisans, woodsmen, carpenters, stonemasons, and other such workers to assist in the building of various famous edifices as Tyre was a well-known center for architects and artificers.

King Hiram was a Phoenician king who reigned from around 980 to 947 BC (although this date may vary by 10-years). He is said to have lived to be 53-years of age, but reigned only 34 of them have taken the throne after his father Abibaal passed and was succeeded by his son Baal-Eser. Although there exists some confusion from Biblical text as the timelines don't quite match up as Solomon and David deal with a "King Hiram" for a time of around 54-years. Some speculate that there may be two King Hirams, but with available evidence, it is only speculation and guessing, and that is a topic for another time as the irregularities are hard to overlook.

During King Hiram's reign, the city of Tyre grew to become an important Phoenician city, particularly for trade; this could have been partly due to the alliance with Solomon and David who gave Hiram access to major trade routes to Egypt, the Arabian peninsula, and Mesopotamia. 

Though many contributions of his life are recorded, there is hardly any information accounting for his death. The only surviving record of his death is the sarcophagus in which he was interred. The tomb of King Hiram is located a couple minute's drive Southeast of Tyre in the village of Hanaway. It is a colossal limestone sarcophagus built upon a high pedestal. I had no idea this monument even existed until I saw a mention of it on Facebook and decided to research the little bit of information there is on the tomb.




Reference

1. Blank, W. (2002, November 24). King Hiram of Tyre. Retrieved from Daily Bible Study: http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/20021124.htm

2. Hiram. (n.d.). Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/266762/Hiram

3. 
Kefel, H. (n.d.). Phoenician King of Tyre. Retrieved from King Hiram: http://www.kinghiram.com


4. King Hiram I. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Hiram_I 

5. Macbride, A. S. (n.d.). The Four Hirams of Tyre. Retrieved from Masonic Dictionary: http://www.masonicdictionary.com/hiramt.html

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