Daniel was buried in Shushan, on account of which a sore quarrel was
enkindled among the inhabitants of the city. Shushan is divided in two
parts by a river. The side containing the grave of Daniel was occupied
by the wealthy inhabitants, and the poor citizens lived on the other
side of the river. The latter maintained that they, too, would be rich
if the grave of Daniel were in their quarter. The frequent disputes and
conflicts were finally adjusted by a compromise; one year the bier of
Daniel reposed on one side of the river, the next year on the other.
When the Persian king Sanjar came to Shushan, he put a stop to the
practice of dragging the bier hither and thither. He resorted to
another device for guarding the peace of the city. He had the bier
suspended from chains precisely in the middle of the bridge spanning
the river. In the same spot he erected a house of prayer for all
confessions, and out of respect to Daniel he prohibited fishing in the
river for a distance of a mile on either side of the memorial building.
(20) The sacredness of the spot appeared when the godless tried to pass
by. They were drowned, while the pious remained unscathed. Furthermore,
the fish that swam near it had heads glittering like gold. (21)
Beside the house of Daniel lay a stone, under which he had concealed
the holy Temple vessels. Once an attempt was made to roll the stone
from its place, but whoever ventured to touch it, fell dead. The same
fate overtook all who later tried to make excavations near the spot; a
storm broke out and mowed them down. (22)