The use of rock-cut cave tombs in the region began in the early Canaanite period, from 3100–2900 BCE. The custom lapsed a millennium, however, before re-emerging in the earliest Israelite tombs, dating to the 9th century BCE in Jerusalem . The use of rock-cut tombs reached its peak in the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, before rapidly declining and eventually falling out of use in the 6th century BCE in some regions. It reappeared during the Second Temple period and continued into the Late Roman and Byzantine periods .
62-622: The Orson Hyde Memorial Garden is a 5.5 acre park on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem , The occupied West Bank . The park was inaugurated on October 24, 1979, by the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Spencer W. Kimball . The garden is dedicated to the memory of Orson Hyde , an early apostle in the church who visited Jerusalem and offered
124-460: A filling station and were used in latrines at a Jordanian Army barracks. The United Nations did not condemn the Jordanian government for these actions. Following the 1967 Six-Day War restoration work was done and the cemetery was reopened for burials. Israel's 1980 unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem was condemned as a violation of international law and ruled null and void by
186-635: A 150-seat stone amphitheatre , and is noted for its views of the Kidron Valley and the Old City of Jerusalem. Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( Hebrew : הַר הַזֵּיתִים , romanized : Har ha-Zeitim ; Arabic : جبل الزيتون , romanized : Jabal az-Zaytūn ; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also الطور , Aṭ-Ṭūr , 'the Mountain')
248-562: A burial cave complex located behind King David Hotel on King David Street in a park in the general area of Yemin Moshe , is built of perfectly cut and joined Herodian-type ashlars and was found to still contain two in situ decorated sarcophagi , all dated to the first century BCE. Its popular name stuck in spite of another tomb near the Damascus Gate being long considered as the actual funerary tower of Herod's family, which again
310-709: A prayer on October 24, 1841, dedicating the Holy Land for the return of the Jews. A plaque inscribed with the prayer by Hyde in English and Hebrew once stood in the park; it was removed due to vandalism. The creation of the memorial garden and an agreement by the LDS Church not to proselytise in Israel played an important part in overcoming local opposition to the construction of BYU Jerusalem Center . The park features
372-608: Is Azal. This evidence accords with the LXX reading of Zechariah 14:5, which states that the valley will be blocked up as far as Azal. The valley he identified (which is now known as Wady Yasul in Arabic, and Nahal Etzel in Hebrew) lies south of both Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. Many Jews have wanted to be buried on the Mount of Olives since antiquity, based on the Jewish tradition (from
434-503: Is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem , east of and adjacent to Jerusalem's Old City . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes. The southern part of the mount was the Silwan necropolis , attributed to the elite of the ancient Kingdom of Judah . The western slopes of the mount, those facing Jerusalem, have been used as a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years and holds approximately 150,000 graves, making it central in
496-475: Is debate on if these tombs were originally intended for secondary burials, or if that practice arose later. The use of such tombs was generally reserved for the middle- and upper-classes, and each typically belonged to a single nuclear or extended family . A number of rock-cut tombs are mentioned in the Bible. Possibly the first, called "Cave of Machpelah", was purchased by Abraham for Sarah from Ephron
558-479: Is easily quarried , it is not a suitable strength for construction and features many man-made burial caves . From Biblical times until the present, Jews have been buried on the Mount of Olives. The necropolis on the southern ridge , the location of the modern village of Silwan , was the burial place of Jerusalem's most important citizens in the period of the Biblical kings . The religious ceremony marking
620-583: Is located in the Kidron Valley across from the City of David , in the lower part of the ridge where the village of Silwan now stands. Assumed to have been used by the highest-ranking officials residing in Jerusalem, its tombs were cut between the 9th and 7th centuries BCE. David Ussishkin wrote that the architecture of the tombs and the manner of burial is different "from anything known from contemporary Palestine. Elements such as entrances located high above
682-854: The First Temple period , made a comeback during the Hasmonean era of the Second Temple period , but they were only used by the elites. At the beginning of the Hasmonean period, under the influence of Hellenistic burial customs from Marisa , members of the elite were buried in wooden coffins inside shafts known in Latin as loculi and in Hebrew as kokhim . Later, in the area of Jerusalem, primary burials took place either in kokhim , or in arched niches known in Latin as arcosolia . However,
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#1732765362873744-524: The King's Gardens was blocked up by landslide rubble during Uzziah's earthquake. Israeli geologists Wachs and Levitte identified the remnant of a large landslide on the Mount of Olives directly adjacent to this area. Based on geographic and linguistic evidence, Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau , a 19th-century linguist and archeologist in Palestine, theorized that the valley directly adjacent to this landslide
806-521: The Masoretic Text , people will flee through this newly formed valley to a place called Azal (Zechariah 14:5). The Septuagint (LXX) has a different reading of Zechariah 14:5 stating that a valley will be blocked up as it was blocked up during the earthquake during King Uzziah 's reign. Jewish historian Flavius Josephus mentions in Antiquities of the Jews that the valley in the area of
868-586: The Olivet Discourse , returning after each day to rest ( Luke 21:37, and John 8:1 in the additional section of John's Gospel known as the Pericope Adulterae ), and also coming there on the night of his betrayal. At the foot of the Mount of Olives lies the Garden of Gethsemane . The New Testament tells how Jesus and his disciples sang together – "When they had sung the hymn, they went out to
930-682: The Ophel in Jerusalem . The custom had lapsed by the second millennium. Rock-cut tombs from the late First Temple period have been discovered in several locations in Jerusalem , the capital city of the Kingdom of Judah . These include the Silwan necropolis , Ketef Hinnom , the Garden Tomb , and St. Etienne. The Silwan necropolis , the most important cemetery of the First Temple period,
992-464: The late Roman period around the 3rd century CE. Rock-cut tombs were a form of burial and interment chamber used in ancient Israel . Cut into the landscapes surrounding ancient Judean cities, their design ranges from single chambered, with simple square or rectangular layouts, to multi-chambered with more complex designs. Almost all burial chambers contain a platform for primary burial and an ossuary or other receptacle for secondary burial. There
1054-521: The start of a new month was held on the Mount of Olives during the Second Temple period . During the time of the Roman procurator Antonius Felix (52–60 CE), a Jewish prophetic figure known as " the Egyptian " gathered his followers atop the Mount of Olives in preparation for an invasion of the city or in the belief that he would cause the walls of Jerusalem to fall, allowing them to enter (depending on
1116-1050: The Ascension and its massive 50-metre (160 ft) bell tower , the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension with its tall and slender bell tower, the Mosque or Chapel of the Ascension , the Church of the Pater Noster , and the Seven Arches Hotel . On the western slope are the historic Jewish cemetery , the Tomb of the Prophets , the Catholic Church of Dominus Flevit , and the Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene . At
1178-540: The Biblical description of Phoenician influence on the Israelite kingdoms . There are three different types of tombs in the Silwan necropolis, each type concentrated in one specific area. Seven of the tombs feature gabled ceilings and extremely fine stonework. Ussishkin described them as "among the most beautifully rock-cut tombs known in the Jerusalem area even when compared with tombs of later periods." In contrast with
1240-471: The Biblical verse Zechariah 14:4) that when the Messiah comes, the resurrection of the dead will begin there. There are an estimated 150,000 graves on the Mount. Notable rabbis buried on the mount include Chaim ibn Attar and others from the 15th century to the present day. Tradition wrongly identifies Roman-period tombs at the foot of the mount as those of Zechariah and Absalom , and a burial complex of
1302-608: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) near the Tzurim Valley which separates the Mount of Olives from Mount Scopus, initially sparked controversy because of concerns that the Mormons would engage in missionary activities. After the Mormons pledged not to proselytize in Israel, work on the building was allowed to proceed. Rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel Use of the tombs has been recorded as recently as
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#17327653628731364-530: The Early Roman period to such enhanced by elaborate and refined facade relief decorations (Keddie 2019, p. 229). During the Second Temple period, Jerusalem was encircled by a belt of rock-cut tombs, which were built outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem in every direction, but predominantly to the north and south of the city. The tombs extend as far as 7 km from the city walls, with
1426-611: The Hittite ( Gen. 23:20 ). Traditionally, this tomb, which may have been either a rock-cut or a natural cave, is identified with the Cave of the Patriarchs in modern Hebron . According to very old traditions, Abraham, Isaac and Rebekah , Jacob and Leah were also buried there ( Gen. 25:9; 49:29–33; 50:12 ). The New Testament reaffirms this tradition: "Their (Jacob and his family) bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in
1488-455: The Jerusalem tombs. She dates the tombs to the period before the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, although it's possible that the practice of construction in the Jerusalem style continued after that. The occurrence suggests that the elaborate tombs of the elite in Jerusalem had an effect on the local elites in the towns and rural villages of early Roman Judaea. The Gospel of Matthew mentions
1550-571: The Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city." The biblical designation Mount of Corruption, or in Hebrew Har HaMashchit ( I Kings 11:7–8), derives from the idol worship there, begun by King Solomon building altars to the gods of his Moabite and Ammonite wives on the southern peak, "on the mountain which is before (east of) Jerusalem" ( 1 Kings 11:7 ), just outside
1612-562: The Mount of Olives because it was 80 meters higher than the Temple Mount and offered a panoramic view of the Temple site. It became a traditional place for lamenting the Temple's destruction, especially on Tisha B'Av . In 1481, an Italian Jewish pilgrim, Meshullam of Volterra , wrote: "And all the community of Jews, every year, goes up to Mount Zion on the day of Tisha B'Av to fast and mourn, and from there they move down along Yoshafat Valley and up to Mount of Olives. From there they see
1674-405: The Mount of Olives near the graves of Etzel members Meir Feinstein and Moshe Barazani , rather than Mount Herzl national cemetery. The armistice agreement signed by Israel and Jordan following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War called for the establishment of a Special Committee to negotiate developments including "free access to the holy sites and cultural institutions and use of the cemetery on
1736-599: The Mount of Olives" Gospel of Matthew 26:30. Jesus ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives according to Acts 1:9–12. Again, the story of Jesus with his disciples on the Mount of Olives can be found in the Gnostic text Pistis Sophia , dated around the 3rd to 4th century CE. Landmarks at the top of the Mount of Olives include the Augusta Victoria Hospital with the Lutheran Church of
1798-516: The Mount of Olives". However, during the 19 years the Jordanian annexation of the West Bank lasted, the committee was not formed. Non-Israeli Christian pilgrims were allowed to visit the mount, but Jews of all countries and most non-Jewish Israeli citizens were barred from entering Jordan and therefore were unable to travel to the area. By the end of 1949, and throughout the Jordanian rule of
1860-736: The Palestinian Arab village of al-Eizariya , identified with the ancient village of Bethany mentioned in the New Testament ; a short distance from the village centre, towards the top of the mount, is the traditional site of Bethphage , marked by a Franciscan church. The construction of the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies , better known locally as the Mormon University, owned and operated by
1922-693: The UN Security Council in UNSC Resolution 478 . Tombs in the Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery have been prone to vandalism, among them the tombs of the Gerrer Rebbe and Menachem Begin . On 6 November 2010, an international watch-committee was set up by Diaspora Jews with the aim of reversing the desecration of the Jewish cemetery. According to one of the founders, the initiative was triggered by witnessing tombstones that were wrecked with "the kind of maliciousness that defies
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1984-473: The Western Hebron Hills , including Khirbat al-Simia , Rujm el-Fihjeh and Khirbet el Jof. The great similarity between these tombs and the Jerusalem tombs, and the lack of a local Hellenistic prototype, have led the researchers to the assumption that the decorated tombs in western Samaria and western Hebron Hills are not the result of an internal development of the burial system there but rather
2046-462: The city began to dwindle and many quarrymen were left without employment. Peleg-Barkat distincts between the rock-cut tombs of western Samaria and those of the western Hebron Hills. She asserts that while the tombs in western Samaria mimic the Jerusalem style, the tombs in the Hebron Hills show both Judean and Nabataean influences at once and do not attempt to copy the facade decorations of
2108-462: The city. They were so called by later generations because the largest of them contains 70 chambers with burial benches, and the Sanhedrin had seventy members. Each of the three tombs would actually have contained the burials of a single, multi-generational, wealthy family. They were constructed between the reign of Herod and 70 CE. The cruciform , 5-chamber, so-called " Herod's Family Tomb ",
2170-539: The early Hasmonean period at Jericho, the bones were placed back in the primary burial niches or on benches. Around 20–15 BCE, Judaean elites started using ossuaries made of limestone, a custom that continued in the Jerusalem area until little after 70 CE (Keddie 2019, p. 230). The very large, monumental tombs of elite families from the Late Hellenistic period, often capped by pyramids or accompanied by impressive markers known as nefesh , are giving way in
2232-467: The extensive family tombs of later periods, these are for single or double burials, with only one of the seven having room for three bodies. Later destruction has effaced the original doorways. A second tomb type described by Ussishkin has flat ceilings and one, two, or three chambers of well-dressed stone carefully squared into spacious rooms. One features a rear chamber of especially "impressive" scale and quality. There are tombs combining characteristics of
2294-688: The foot of the mount, where it meets the Kidron Valley , there is the Garden of Gethsemane with the Church of All Nations . Within the Kidron Valley itself are the Tomb of the Virgin Mary , the Grotto of Gethsemane, and the nearby tomb of the medieval historian Mujir ed-Din , and further south are the tombs of Absalom (Hebrew name: Yad Avshalom), the Hezir priestly family and of Zechariah . At
2356-449: The imagination." The Mount of Olives is first mentioned in connection with David 's flight from Absalom ( II Samuel 15:30): "And David went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up." The ascent was probably east of the City of David , near the village of Silwan . The sacred character of the mount is alluded to in the Book of Ezekiel (11:23): "And the glory of
2418-560: The impressive sepulcher monument popularly known as the Tombs of the Kings , which is actually the tomb of Queen Helena of Adiabene and her relatives. Constructed circa 50 CE, this is the only funeral monument that can be positively recognized which was recorded by ancient writers, such as Josephus, Pausanias, Eusebius, and Jerome. The elaborate Tombs of the Sanhedrin lie to the north of
2480-482: The limits of the holy city. This site was known for idol worship throughout the First Temple period, until king of Judah, Josiah , finally destroyed "the high places that were before Jerusalem, to the right of Har HaMashchit..."( II Kings 23:13) An apocalyptic prophecy in the Book of Zechariah states that YHWH will stand on the Mount of Olives and the mountain will split in two, with one half shifting north and one half shifting south ( Zechariah 14:4 ). According to
2542-553: The more prestigious tombs located close to the city. This necropolis was established during the Hellenistic period but underwent significant growth during the Herodian period. Poor people's graves, which were likely just simple graves excavated in the dirt, have not been preserved, and the roughly 800 tombs that have been preserved to this day belonged to aristocratic and middle-class families. The most elaborate group of tombs
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2604-626: The mount has been a site of Christian worship since ancient times and is today a major site of pilgrimage for Catholics , the Eastern Orthodox , and Protestants . The Mount of Olives is one of three peaks of a mountain ridge which runs for 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) just east of the Old City across the Kidron Valley , in this area called the Valley of Josaphat . The peak to its north is Mount Scopus , at 826 metres (2,710 feet), while
2666-486: The newly rock-cut tomb of Joseph of Arimathea ( Matthew 27:60 ). Proposed candidates for the tomb include the rock-cut chamber inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre , the Talpiot Tomb , and the Garden Tomb . The ruins of Beit She'arim (Sheikh Abrekh in Arabic) in the Galilee preserve a vast necropolis with catacombs containing a large number of rock-cut Jewish tombs from the late 2nd to 6th centuries CE. The ancient city of Besara , today known as Beit She'arim,
2728-401: The northern margin of Mount Olivet stand the Mormon University with the Orson Hyde Memorial Garden and the Jewish settlement of Beit Orot , bordering on the Tzurim Valley and the Mitzpe Hamasu'ot ('Beacons Lookout') site, where the Temple Mount Sifting Project facilities are located. What lays north of here belongs to Mount Scopus. On the south-eastern slope of the Mount of Olives lies
2790-402: The peak to its south is the Mount of Corruption, at 747 m (2,451 ft). The highest point on the Mount of Olives is At-Tur, at 818 m (2,684 ft). The ridge acts as a watershed , and its eastern side is the beginning of the Judean Desert . The ridge is formed of oceanic sedimentary rock from the Late Cretaceous and contains a soft chalk and a hard flint . While the chalk
2852-428: The regular type of burial during the Early Roman period (c. 63 BCE – 70 CE), used by the non-elite population, was done in trenches. Trench burials were quite varied, with one or two bodies, either in primary or secondary burial , with even a case of an infant buried in a jar coming to light. If such a simple grave was hewn into the rock, archaeologists speak of a cist tomb (Keddie 2019, p. 227). Some support
2914-457: The result of a deliberate copying of the Jerusalem tombs, at the special request of local, affluent families. Most researchers concur that these tombs date from the same period as the Jerusalem tombs that were served as a model for replication, however, Magen thinks otherwise: in his opinion, the visible difference in the quality of the design and carving between the tombs indicates a chronological gap between them, and therefore he suggests dating
2976-449: The same period on the upper slope as the Tomb of the Prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi . The Mount of Olives is frequently mentioned in the New Testament as part of the route from Jerusalem to Bethany and the place where Jesus stood when he wept over Jerusalem (an event known as Flevit super illam in Latin ). Jesus is said to have spent time on the mount, teaching and prophesying to his disciples (Matthew 24–25), including
3038-401: The site, some Arab residents uprooted tombstones and plowed the land in the cemeteries, and an estimated 38,000 tombstones were damaged in total. During this period, a road was paved through the cemetery, in the process destroying graves including those of famous persons. In 1964, the Intercontinental Hotel was built at the summit of the mount. Graves were also demolished for parking lots and
3100-426: The surface, gabled ceilings, straight ceilings with a cornice, trough-shaped resting-places with pillows, above-ground tombs, and inscriptions engraved on the facade appear only here." The stone benches on which bodies were laid out and the small square entrance doors are similar to those found elsewhere in Judah. Ussishkin believes that the architectural similarity to building styles of the Phoenician cities validates
3162-436: The surrounding walls, save for the side of the dromos , were carved loculi approximately 2 meters in length. In more complex tombs, an interment room followed the entrance, in which the deceased's remains were laid on stone benches to decompose. A repository served as an ossuary and secondary burial site to house the remains of the newly deceased with those of ancestors past. The repository also served to receive offerings to
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#17327653628733224-409: The theory that in the Galilee, rock-cut tombs only had a comeback after the destruction of Jerusalem and the influx of refugees from Judaea after 70 CE (Keddie 2019, p. 237). Elite burials happened in two phases, the second burial consisting in collecting the bones after the decomposition of the body and placing them in specific places within the tomb – a procedure known as ossilegium . During
3286-444: The tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money" ( Acts 7:16 ). Rock-cut tombs are also mentioned in the Book of Judges ( Judges 8:32 ), the Second Book of Samuel ( 2 Samuel 2:32 ), and the Second Books of Kings ( 2 Kings 9:28, 21:26, 23:16, 23:30 ). Early Canaanite I (3100–2900 BCE) period tombs are the earliest rock-cut tombs yet discovered in Israel; several have been found beneath
3348-420: The tomb was accessed via a descending staircase. Some tombs possess elaborate facades, with the tombs of Be'it She'arim being well known for this feature. Others, such as those outside of Jericho , had simple exteriors with a rectangular blocking stone or mudbrick. The simplest tombs feature a single, square chamber with a recess in the center with benches along its edges to allow space for visitors to stand. Into
3410-408: The tombs of West Samaria and the Western Hebron Hills later than the Jerusalem tombs, at the end of the first century or the beginning of the second century. Magen also raised the possibility that their hewing is connected to the flight of Jewish craftsmen to Samaria and the Hebron Hills with the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem and perhaps even a little earlier, when the construction enterprises in
3472-423: The tradition of Jewish cemeteries . Atop the hill lies the Palestinian neighbourhood of At-Tur , a former village that is now part of East Jerusalem . 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 . Because of its association with both Jesus and Mary ,
3534-431: The two described here above. The third type consists of just three "magnificent" monolith tombs, now located in the northern part of the village. These have been carved out of the cliff to create free-standing buildings above the underground burial chambers. Hebrew inscriptions survive on these three tombs; these are the only ancient inscriptions that survive in Silwan. Rock-cut tombs, which had been absent from Judea since
3596-420: The version). This group was crushed by the Romans. While "the Egyptian" managed to flee, many of his followers were killed or taken captive, and the remainder escaped. Roman soldiers from the 10th Legion camped on the mount during the Siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD. After the destruction of the Second Temple , Jews celebrated the festival of Sukkot on the Mount of Olives. They made pilgrimages to
3658-461: The whole Temple (the Temple Mount) and there they weep and lament the destruction of this House." In 1189, in the wake of the 1187 Battle of Hattin and reconquest of the land by Saladin , the sultan gave the Mount to two of his commanders. In the mid-1850s, the villagers of Silwan were paid £100 annually by the Jews in an effort to prevent the desecration of graves on the mount. Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin asked to be buried on
3720-556: Was contradicted by the finds at Herodium . The Church of the Holy Sepulchre contains remains of at least seven 2nd Temple-period tombs, including the one considered by Christian tradition to be that of Jesus, and a relatively well-preserved kochim tomb opening from the western apse of the Constantinian Rotunda. Elaborate rock-cut tombs with designs resembling those found in Jerusalem of the late Second Temple period were discovered in multiple sites in Western Samaria , including Khirbet Kurkush , Deir ed-Darb and Mokata 'Aboud , and in
3782-483: Was in the Kidron Valley across from the Temple Mount . These include the Tomb of Benei Hezir , that belonged to a priestly family also known from the Hebrew Bible, with the adjacent so-called Tomb of Zechariah monument (actually not a tomb), and the Tomb of Absalom along with the Cave of Jehoshaphat located behind it. Among the notable tombs are the Jason's Tomb , a large, elaborate, family tomb with multiple chambers and inscriptions in both Hebrew and Greek and
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#17327653628733844-402: Was located near what is now the modern town of Tiv'on . According to various sources, it was one of the most highly desired burial places for Jews in the ancient world, second only to the Mount of Olives in its desirability. This prestige is attributed to Beit She'arim being named as the burial place of Yehuda HaNasi ( Judah the Prince ). Tombs included a dromos , or entry-way, through which
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