//
Photo: Talmoryair, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Rockefeller Museum was made possible by a substantial contribution by American oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller. The museum houses an impressive collection of antiquities, including a number of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Rockefeller Archeological Museum, formerly the Palestine Archaeological Museum, is an archaeology museum located in Jerusalem, next to Herod's Gate, that houses a large collection of artifacts unearthed in the excavations conducted in the British-ruled Mandatory Palestine, mainly in the 1920s and 1930s.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Disputed to be an alternative to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the location of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, the Garden Tomb is located a block north of the Damascus Gate. British general, Charles Gordon, popularized the view that the skull shaped hill just north of the city was the Golgotha referred to in the New Testament. Excavations have revealed an ancient tomb along with ruins of a cistern system and winepress—evidences that the site was once the location of a garden. Regardless of its authenticity, the lovely garden is worth a visit.
Participate in salvaging antiquities from debris that was dumped out of the Temple Mount during construction by Muslim authorities there. The basic program is two hours long. At the beginning, you get instructions on how to sift through the archaeological debris. At the end, the guide explains the significance of the artifacts that each of the participants have found. (Since April 2017, the debris is from the City of David, not from the Temple Mount, but this might change in the future.)
Directly across from the Church of All Nations, the Tomb of the Virgin is believed to be where the Disciples entombed Mary, the mother of Jesus. Forty-seven steps lead past side niches and down to crypt, which contains the burial place of Queen Melisande of Jerusalem, St. Anne and St. Joachim (Mary's parents) and the Virgin Mary. Outside, to the right of the entrance, is the Cave of Gethsemane, also known as the Cave of Betrayal, the traditional place of Judas's betrayal of Jesus.
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.
Kever Shimon HaTzadik
An ancient cave tomb, traditionally the burial site of Simeon the Just, a Jewish leader and high priest in the 3rd or 4th century BCE. If you cannot get to Meron for the annual Lag BaOmer festivities, there is also a celebration here.
An impressive mosaic floor designed by Armenian Christian artists in about the 6th century. Call the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem (+972 2 628 2331) to arrange a visit.