Tombs of the Sanhedrin

As you look over Israel guided tours, we suggest finding one that makes a stop at the Tombs of the Sanhedrin, located on the edge of Jerusalem's very Orthodox Sanhedria neighborhood in a small park. A landmarked dubbed as "the Tombs of the Judges", paths wind from one Second Temple era rock-cut tomb to the next. The first mention of these tombs can be found in 1235 by Rabbi Jacob the Emissary, who believed these were among the "Tombs of the Righteous". Rabbi Jacob saw them during his travels raising money for a yeshiva and described them as "a tomb in which many wise men are buried, a very beautiful building, a cave within a cave." In 1450, these graves were identified by Rabbi Joseph Halevi as the Tombs of the Sanhedrin, sketched later in 1659 revealing them to be a beautiful structure that includes an arched colonnade. Though modern day visitors taking a trip to Israel will not be able to see this as it's long gone, the tomb still remains and it is heavily visited throughout the year by those making their pilgrimage to the area.