The Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives, including the Silwan necropolis,
is the most ancient and most important Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem.
Burial on the Mount of Olives started some 3,000 years ago in the days of the
First Temple, and continues to this day.
The cemetery contains anywhere between 70,000 and 150,000 tombs from various
periods, including the tombs of famous figures in Jewish history.
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Jewish cemetery seen from the east.
In the distance, on the left side of the center, we can see the Al-Aqsa
Mosque, and on the right side of the center, we can see the Dome of the
Rock.
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Church of Mary Magdalene (left) and Dominus Flevit Church (right).
Jewish cemetery seen from the southeast.
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The Church of Mary Magdalene is an Eastern Orthodox Christian church
located on the Mount of Olives, directly across the Kidron Valley from
the Temple Mount and near the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem.
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Dominus Flevit (Latin, "the Lord wept") is a Roman Catholic church on
the Mount of Olives, opposite the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem
in Israel.
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See more at
Church of Mary Magdalene - Wikipedia
and
Dominus Flevit Church - Wikipedia.
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South Jerusalem seen from the Jewish cemetery.
On the right side we can see the Al-aqsa mosque. In the distance we can
see the Dormition Abbey.
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Al-aqsa Mosque seen from the Jewish Cemetery.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque (lit. 'congregational mosque of Al-Aqsa'), also known
as the Qibli Mosque or Qibli Chapel (lit. 'prayer hall of the qibla
(south)'), is the main congregational mosque or prayer hall in the
Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem.
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The present-day mosque, located on the south wall of the compound, was
originally built by the fifth Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik (r. 685–705)
or his successor al-Walid I (r. 705–715) (or both) as a congregational
mosque on the same axis as the Dome of the Rock, a commemorative
Islamic monument.
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See more at
Al-Aqsa Mosque - Wikipedia.
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Dome of the Rock seen from the Jewish Cemetery.
The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine at the center of the Al-Aqsa
mosque compound on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem.
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It is the world's oldest surviving work of Islamic architecture, the
earliest archaeologically attested religious structure to be built by
a Muslim ruler and its inscriptions contain the earliest epigraphic
proclamations of Islam and of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
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See more at
Dome of the Rock - Wikipedia.
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North Jerusalem seen from the Jewish cemetery.
At the bottom of the photo we can see Gethsemane.
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Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem
where, according to the four Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus
Christ underwent the agony in the garden and was arrested before his
crucifixion.
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See more at
Gethsemane - Wikipedia.
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North Jerusalem seen from the Jewish cemetery.
At the bottom of the photo we can see the Tomb of the Virgin.
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Church of the Sepulchre of Saint Mary, also Tomb of the Virgin Mary,
is a Christian church built around an ancient Jewish rock-cut tomb in
the Kidron Valley – at the foot of Mount of Olives, in Jerusalem –
believed by Eastern Christians to be the burial place of Mary, the
mother of Jesus.
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See more at
Tomb of the Virgin Mary - Wikipedia.
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Going down the stairs towards the Tomb of the Prophets.
The Tomb of the Prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi (lit. 'Graves
(of) the Prophets'; "Cave of the Prophets") is an ancient burial site
located on the upper western slope of the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem.
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According to a medieval Jewish tradition also adopted by Christians,
the catacomb is believed to be the burial place of Haggai, Zechariah
and Malachi, the last three Hebrew Bible prophets who are believed to
have lived during the 6th–5th centuries BC.
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See more at
Tomb of the Prophets - Wikipedia.
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In the distance we can see the tower of the Chapel of the
Ascension.
The Chapel of the Ascension is a chapel and shrine located on the Mount
of Olives, in the At-Tur district of Jerusalem.
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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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Going down the street that goes from the Tomb of the Prophets to
Gethsemane.
On the left side of this street is the Jewish Cemetery. On the right
side is the Dominus Flevit Church, and further down the Church of Mary
Magdalene.
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Tombs in the Jewish Cemetery.
The Jewish tradition of leaving stones or pebbles on a grave is an
ancient one, and its origins are unclear. It is a custom or tradition,
rather than a commandment, and over time many interpretations have been
offered for this practice.
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Warning To Kohanim (Jewish Priests) - During the times of the Temple
in Jerusalem, Jewish priests (kohanim) became ritually impure if they
came within four feet of a corpse. As a result, Jews began marking
graves with piles of rocks in order to indicate to passing kohanim
that they should stay back.
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To Keep the Soul in This World - The Talmud mentions that after a
person dies her soul continues to dwell for a while in the grave
where she was buried. Putting stones on a grave keeps the soul down in
this world, which some people find comforting. Another related
interpretation suggests that the stones keep demons and golems from
getting into the graves.
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Stones Last Longer Than Flowers - Flowers, though beautiful, will
eventually die. A stone will not die, and can symbolize the permanence
of memory and legacy.
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See also
Source
Location
