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Photo: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The most ancient and most important cemetery in Jerusalem. Burial on the Mount of Olives started some 3,000 years ago in the First Temple Period, and continues to this day. Famous figures in Jewish history are buried here, including Nachmanides, S. Y. Agnon and Menachem Begin. The cemetery covers a large part of the Mount of Olives.
The Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives is the oldest and most important Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives had been a traditional Hebrew/Jewish burial location in antiquity. The present-day main cemetery is approximately five centuries old, having been first leased from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf in the sixteenth century. The cemetery contains anywhere between 70,000 and 150,000 tombs, including the tombs of famous figures in early modern Jewish history. It is considered to be the largest and holiest historical Jewish cemetery on earth.
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Near the Seven Arches hotel, definitely the best view of the Old City of Jerusalem. Come here to take panoramic pictures and be stunned by the beauty of the city.
At the top of the Jewish Cemetery, which spans the southwestern slope of the Mount of Olives, lies a large catacomb complex containing oven-shaped graves (kokhim). The Palestinian family which discovered the catacomb claims that the tombs belonged to the 5th century BCE prophets Haggai, Malachi and Zechariah. In reality, the catacombs date from a much later period, the 1st century AD. Bring a flashlight or use your smartphone's light.
Its name meaning "The Lord Wept", this chapel was identified by medieval pilgrims as the place where Jesus wept over the fate of Jerusalem. The chapel's west window frames a breathtaking view of the Old City. A small collection of stone artifacts from nearby excavations are on display.
An impressive burial monument, approximately 20 meters tall, that is mistakenly attributed to King David's rebellious son Absalom. It is in the valley between the Old City and the Mount of Olives. Just to the south is the so-called Tomb of Zechariah which is also impressive. Between these is Tomb of Bnei Hezir which is cave cut into the cliff, rather than a free-standing monument. All of these date to the Hasmonean period (2nd-1st century BCE).
This Russian Orthodox Church, with its gilded onion domes, was built by Tsar Alexander III in 1885 in memory of his mother, Maria Alexandrovna, whose patron saint was Mary Magdalene. Tsar Alexander III's sister-in-law, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, was buried here after her murder during the Russian Revolution in 1920.
Also known as the Church of Agony because it is built over the rock where Jesus agonized about his death, this 4th-century church has been rebuilt many times, the most recent structure being the result of financial contributions from 12 nations. To commemorate the benefactors, the church was designed with 12 domes adorned with each country's coat of arms. The rock in the center of the nave is the remnant of the ruined Byzantine church. The plan of the Byzantine church is outlined on the floor in black marble. Next to the church is the surviving part of the Garden of Gethsemane with its centuries-old olive trees.