The City of David (Hebrew: Ir David), called in Arabic: Wadi Hilweh, a
neighborhood of Silwan, is a Palestinian Arab village intertwined with an
Israeli settlement, and the archaeological site which is speculated to
constitute the original settlement core of Bronze and Iron Age Jerusalem.
The City of David is highly controversial in the context of the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict; it is located in the area of the West Bank that
was annexed to Israel following the 1967 Six-Day War and 1980 Jerusalem Law.
The international community regards Israeli settlements illegal under
international law, although Israel disputes this.
Archaeologically it is best known for its Canaanite infrastructure dated to
the Middle Bronze Age, and its newer structures from the Iron Age, built by
Judean kings.
Organised as an Israeli national park, its management was taken over in 1997
by the Ir David Foundation.
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Entrance to the City of David.
The archaeological site is on a rocky spur south of the Temple Mount and
outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, sometimes described as
the southeastern ridge of ancient Jerusalem.
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It is situated on southern part of the eastern ridge of ancient
Jerusalem, west of the Kidron Valley and east of the Tyropoeon Valley,
to the immediate south of the Temple Mount.
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The Temple Mount seen from the City of David.
The City of David is located south of Temple Mount.
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The Temple Mount is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem that has been
venerated as a holy site in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam for
thousands of years.
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See more at
Temple Mount - Wikipedia.
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Jewish Cemetery seen from the City of David.
The Jewish Cemetery is located northeast of the City of David.
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The Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives is the oldest and most
important Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives has been a
traditional Hebrew/Jewish burial location since antiquity, and the
main present-day cemetery portion is approximately five centuries old,
having been first leased from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf in the
sixteenth century.
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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 (as opposed
to modern) Jewish cemetery on earth.
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See more at
Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery - Wikipedia.
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West side of Jerusalem seen from the City of David.
In the center, in the distance, we can see the Abbey of the Dormition.
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Abbey of the Dormition (German: Dormitio-Abtei, Hebrew: כנסיית
הדורמיציון Knesia HaDormitsiyon) is a Catholic abbey belonging to the
Benedictine Order in Jerusalem, on Mount Zion just outside the walls
of the Old City near the Zion Gate. The Abbey is said to mark the spot
where Mary, mother of Jesus, died.
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See more at
Abbey of the Dormition - Wikipedia.
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North view of the Kidron Valley.
Kidron Valley is the modern name of the valley originating slightly
northeast of the Old City of Jerusalem, which then separates the Temple
Mount from the Mount of Olives, and ending at the Dead Sea.
- On the right side we can see the Jewish Cemetery.
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South view of Kidron Valley.
On the left side we can see Ras al-Amud.
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Ras al-Amud is a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem (which is
under Israeli occupation), located southeast of the Old City of
Jerusalem.
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See more at
Ras al-Amud - Wikipedia.
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Archaeological outline.
Archaeologist Michaël Jasmin gives us complete explanations about the
historical evolution of Jerusalem.
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The area is one of the most intensively excavated sites in the Holy
Land.
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Archaeological practice at the site has been criticized for its
practitioners not acknowledging political and corporate motivations,
questionable field practice and overtly skewed interpretations.
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See more at
City of David (archaeological site), Archaeological outline -
Wikipedia.
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Mount of Olives seen from the City of David.
The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet is a mountain ridge in East
Jerusalem, east of and adjacent to Jerusalem's Old City.
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Several key events in the life of Jesus, as related in the Gospels,
took place on the Mount of Olives, and in the Acts of the Apostles it
is described as the place from which Jesus ascended to heaven.
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See more at
Mount of Olives - Wikipedia.
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Jewish Cemetery and Chapel of the Ascension.
The Chapel of the Ascension is a chapel and shrine located on the Mount
of Olives.
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Part of a larger complex consisting first of a Christian church and
monastery, then an Islamic mosque, Zawiyat al-Adawiya, it is located
on a site traditionally believed to be the earthly spot where Jesus
ascended into Heaven after his Resurrection.
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See more at
Chapel of the Ascension, Jerusalem - Wikipedia.
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South view of Jerusalem from the City of David.
In the center of the photo is the "Ahiel's House" build on top of the
Stepped Stone Structure.
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Remains of King David's palace.
Part of the Large Stone Structure asserted by archaeologist Eilat Mazar
to be the remains of King David's palace.
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The 2005 discovery by archaeologist Eilat Mazar of a Large Stone
Structure, which she dated to the tenth century BCE, would be evidence
of buildings in Jerusalem of a size appropriate to the capital of a
centralized kingdom at that time.
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Mazar's date is supported by 10th century imported luxury goods found
within the Large Stone Structure, including two Phoenician-style ivory
inlays once attached to iron objects.
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See more at
City of David (archaeological site), Iron Age IIa (1000–925/900
BCE) - Wikipedia.
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Awnings to protect visitors.
Visitors are protected from the sun by awnings while viewing the various
archaeological strata.
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The House of Ahiel.
The name Ahiel was found on pieces of pottery discovered among the ruins
of this house.
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The 'House of Ahiel' is a four-room house, consisting of three
parallel spaces closed off by a fourth.
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The roof beams were supported by pillars, part of which can be seen
here.
- It is reasonable to assume that this was a two-story dwelling.
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To the right of the building, a stone toilet seat was found,
indicating the high standard of living of the residents who lived
there.
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This residential quarter went up in flames with the rest of the city
during the Babylonian destruction of 586 BCE.
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See also
Source
Location
