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Mount of Olives is located on the east of Jerusalem, Israel across the Kidron
valley. The mountain is named after the olive trees that used to cover its slopes.
Mount of Olives in Jerusalem is holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and
many religious traditional beliefs are tied to it. It offers a magnificent view
of the Old City in Jerusalem and a striking bird's eye view of the Dead Sea and
the mountains of Moab in the East. From the Jerusalem travel guide, we come to
know that it is one of the famous places of sightseeing in Jerusalem.
The Mount of Olives is associated with some of the most important occurrences
in Jesus' life. Here, Jesus ascended to Heaven, foretold the destruction of
Jerusalem, taught his disciples the Lord's Prayer and wept over Jerusalem on
his way to the Holy City on Palm Sunday. The Russian Orthodox Church of St.
Mary Magdalene, with its striking onion-shaped spires is also located on the
Mount of Olives.
Separated from the Eastern Hill by the Kidron Valley, the Mt. of Olives has
always been a significant 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
sites for the city. Early Christian pilgrims located the Garden of Gethsemane
at the bottom of the slope of the Mount 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.
Adjacent to the Church of All Nations is an ancient and beautiful olive garden.
Olive trees do not have rings and so their age can not be guessed, 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.
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