The Mount of Olives

An incredibly popular tourist site, it's no wonder the Mount of Olives is often a destination on many of the best Christian Israel tours. Much can be seen from the Mount of Olives-Jerusalem, Hinnom and Kidron valley, the Temple Mount, the Golden Gate to Mount Moriah, Mount Zion and more. You can also see the wilderness that gave Jerusalem one of its earliest names, Zion (2 Sam. 5:7), meaning desert. On the eastern side of the Mount of Olives is Bethany, the location of a beautiful church that commemorates the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha (John 1:11). Visitors can also visit the traditional tomb of Lazarus who was raised by Jesus from the dead (John 11:43). Beginning in Bethphage, visitors can see the Palm Sunday Walk, which goes along the same route Jesus took during his triumphant entry into the Holy City (John 12:13-15) and stops at the location where Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), which has sense been turned into the garden chapel of Dominus Flevit. The path continues past the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives (Zach 14:4) where the dead will first rise during the end times. The Mount of Olives has attracted many different people for different reasons. Monks used to sojourn there for deep reflection, prayer and meditation on Scripture. The Palm Sunday Walk ends in the garden of Gethsemane, one of the most important sites on any Christian Holy Land tour aside from the Pater Noster ("Our Father") Church, which was named after the prayer Jesus taught (Matt. 6:9-13), the Dome of the Ascension, the Tower of the Ascension and Viri Galilaei (Acts 1:11).