From the Kidron Valley

Separated from the Eastern Hill (the Temple Mount and the City of David) by the Kidron Valley, the Mt. of Olives has always been an important feature in Jerusalem's landscape.  From the 3rd millennium B.C. until the present, this 2900-foot hill has served as one of the main burial grounds for the city.  The two-mile long ridge has three summits each of which has a tower built on it.

Dome of the Ascension

The Church of the Holy Ascension was taken by Saladin in 1187 and converted into a mosque and remains such today.  It contains what is traditionally the last footprint of Jesus on earth before he ascended into heaven.

Two other places are claimed to be the location of the ascension.  Constantine's mother Helena built a church under the modern Paternoster Church to commemorate this event.  A much later tradition connects the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension to Christ's return into heaven.  

Scripture indicates that the Jesus ascended into heaven in the vicinity of Bethany.  This village is down the east slope of the Mt. of Olives about 1.5 miles (2 km).  In this case, none of the traditional locations for the ascension are correct.

Garden of Gethsemane

Early Christian pilgrims located the Garden of Gethsemane at the bottom of the slope of the Mt. of Olives opposite the Temple Mount.  Byzantine, Crusader and a modern church were built successively on the site where it is believed that Jesus prayed to the Father hours before his crucifixion.  The modern Church of All Nations has a beautiful mosaic on its facade. 

Olives Trees in Gethsemane

Adjacent to the Church of All Nations is an ancient olive garden.  Olive trees do not have rings and so their age can not be precisely determined, but scholars estimate their age to anywhere between one and two thousand years old.  It is unlikely that these trees were here in the time of Christ because of the report that the Romans cut down all the trees in the area in their siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

Church of Mary Magdalene

This Russian Orthodox church was built in honor of the czar's mother in 1888 and the mosaic inside depicts the legend of Mary Magdalene presenting an egg to the Emperor Tiberius.  The egg allegedly turned red when she handed it to him, symbolic of Jesus' blood.  28 nuns from all over the world live in the convent here today.

Dominus Flevit Church

Built in 1955 to commemorate the Lord's weeping over Jerusalem, Dominus Flevit features a beautiful view of the city through its distinct chapel window.  Excavations during construction of the church uncovered a number of ossuaries (bone boxes) from the time of Jesus with numerous inscriptions.