Editing Mount of Olives

{{Short description|Mountain in East Jerusalem}}
{{Redirect|Mount Olivet}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name          = Mount of Olives
| other_name    = Mount Olivet
| native_name   = {{native name list|tag1=he|name1=הַר הַזֵּיתִים|tag2=ar|name2=الطور / جبل الزيتون}}
| photo         = Israel-2013-Aerial-Mount of Olives.jpg
| photo_caption = Aerial photograph of the Mount of Olives
| elevation_m   = 826
| elevation_ref =
| listing       = 
| location      = [[Jerusalem]]
| map           = 
| map_alt       =
| map_caption   =
| map_size      =
| coordinates   = {{coord|31|46|42|N|35|14|38|E|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref = 
| range         = [[Judean Mountains]]
| topo          =
| type          =
| first_ascent  =
| easiest_route = Road
}}
[[File:MountOfOlivesMay232023.jpg|thumb|A-Sawane Neighborhood on the Mount of Olives]]The '''Mount of Olives''' or '''Mount Olivet''' ({{langx|he|הַר הַזֵּיתִים|Har ha-Zeitim}}; {{langx|ar|جبل الزيتون|Jabal az-Zaytūn}}; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also {{lang|ar|الطور}}, {{transliteration|ar|Aṭ-Ṭūr}}, 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge in [[East Jerusalem]], east of and adjacent to [[Old City of Jerusalem|Jerusalem's Old City]].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite book|title=This is Jerusalem|author= Har-El, Menashe |publisher= Canaan Publishing House|location= Jerusalem|date= 1977|page= 117 |oclc=3629547 }}</ref> It is named for the [[olive|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]].<ref name="Ussishkin70" /> The western slopes of the mount, those facing Jerusalem, have been used as a [[Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery|Jewish cemetery]] for over 3,000 years and holds approximately 150,000 graves, making it central in the tradition of [[Jewish cemetery|Jewish cemeteries]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3981588,00.html|title= International committee vows to restore Mount of Olives|newspaper= Ynetnews|date= 8 November 2010}}</ref> Atop the hill lies the [[State of Palestine|Palestinian]] neighbourhood of [[At-Tur (Mount of Olives)|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 [[Ascension of Jesus|ascended to heaven]]. Because of its association with both Jesus and [[Virgin Mary|Mary]], the mount has been a site of [[Christianity|Christian]] worship since ancient times and is today a major site of pilgrimage.

==Geography and geology==
[[File:Olive tree on the Mount of Olives.jpg|thumb|Olive tree on the Mount of Olives said to be 800–2,000 years old<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.moag.gov.il/en/Subjects/hugging_a_tree/Hiking_routes_and_tales_of_trees/Ancient_Trees/ancient_olive/Pages/default.aspx |title=The Ancient Olive Trees on the Mount of Olives|publisher=Government of Israel|work=Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development |access-date=2019-04-28 |archive-date=2019-04-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428090203/https://www.moag.gov.il/en/Subjects/hugging_a_tree/Hiking_routes_and_tales_of_trees/Ancient_Trees/ancient_olive/Pages/default.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>]]

The Mount of Olives is one of three peaks of a mountain [[ridge]] which runs for {{convert|3.5|km|1|abbr=off}} just east of the Old City across the [[Kidron Valley]], in the area called the [[Valley of Josaphat]]. The peak to its north is [[Mount Scopus]], at {{convert|826|m|0|abbr=off}}, while the peak to its south is the Mount of Corruption, at {{convert|747|m|0|abbr=on}}. The highest point on the Mount of Olives is At-Tur, at {{convert|818|m|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite book|title=Mount Seir, Sinai and Western Palestine|first=Edward|last=Hull|page=152|publisher=Richard Bentley and Son, London|year=1885|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Mount_Seir,_Sinai_and_Western_Palestine/Chapter_16}}</ref> The ridge acts as a [[Drainage divide|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 is easily [[quarry|quarried]], it is not a suitable strength for construction and features many [[Rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel|man-made burial caves]].

==History==
[[File:Mount of Olives (before 1899).jpg|thumb|The Mount of Olives, {{Circa|1899}}]]
{{multiple image
|image2=WikiAir IL-13-06 039 - Mount of Olives.JPG
|image1=Mount of Olives 1858.jpg
|width2=290
|width1=205
|footer=The Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives, 155 years apart. The map, from 1858, [[cartography of Jerusalem|considered the most accurate in existence at the time]], marks the Jewish graves clearly on the bottom left. The aerial photo, from 2013, is taken from the south.
}}
From [[Biblical times]] until the present, [[Jews]] have been buried on the Mount of Olives. The [[Silwan necropolis|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 [[First Temple Period|period of the Biblical kings]].<ref name=Ussishkin70>{{cite journal|title=The Necropolis from the Time of the Kingdom of Judah at Silwan, Jerusalem|author= Ussishkin, David |journal=The Biblical Archaeologist|volume= 33|number= 2 |date=May 1970|pages=33–46|doi=10.2307/3211026 |jstor=3211026 |s2cid=165984075| issn=0006-0895}}</ref>

The religious ceremony marking the [[Rosh Chodesh|start of a new month]] was held on the Mount of Olives during the [[Second Temple period]].<ref name="Har-el 1977 120–123">{{cite book |last=Har-el |first=Menashe |title=This is Jerusalem |publisher=Canaan |location=Jerusalem |year=1977 |pages=120–23 |oclc=3629547 }}</ref> During the time of the [[Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135)|Roman procurator]] [[Antonius Felix]] (52–60 CE), a Jewish prophetic figure known as "[[Egyptian (prophet)|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 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.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[the Jewish War]]'', 2.261-63; ''[[Antiquities of the Jews]],'' 20.169-72</ref><ref name="GR1993">{{Cite book |last=Gray |first=Rebecca |title=Prophetic figures in late Second Temple Jewish Palestine: the evidence from Josephus |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-19-507615-8 |location=New York, N.Y. Oxford |pages=116–117}}</ref>

[[Roman army|Roman soldiers]] from the [[Legio X Fretensis|10th Legion]] camped on the mount during the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70)|Siege of Jerusalem]] in the year 70 AD.<ref name=":62">{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=Guy MacLean |title=For the Freedom of Zion: the Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, 66-74 CE |date=2021 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-24813-5 |location=New Haven |pages=547}}</ref> After the destruction of the [[Second Temple]], Jews celebrated the festival of [[Sukkot]] on the Mount of Olives. They made pilgrimages to 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]].<ref name="Har-el 1977 120–123" /> 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 the whole Temple (the Temple Mount) and there they weep and lament the destruction of this House."<ref>{{cite book|last=Nom de Deu|first=J.|title=Relatos de Viajes y Epistolas de Peregrinos Judíos a Jerusalén|location=Madrid|year=1987|page=82 |oclc=18733605 }}</ref>

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.<ref name="Har-El2004">{{cite book|author=Menashe Har-El|title=Golden Jerusalem|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Z2cFY9iGqgC&pg=PA244|date=April 2004|publisher=Gefen Publishing House Ltd|isbn=978-965-229-254-4|page=244}}</ref>

[[Prime Minister of Israel]] [[Menachem Begin]] asked to be buried on the Mount of Olives near the graves of [[Irgun|Etzel]] members [[Meir Feinstein]] and [[Moshe Barazani]], rather than [[Mount Herzl]] national cemetery.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/the-good-jailer-1.217549 |title=The good jailer |last=Sheleg |first=Yair |date=2007-04-07 |access-date=2010-07-16 |newspaper=[[Haaretz]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115031510/http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/the-good-jailer-1.217549|archive-date=2013-11-15}}</ref>

===Status since 1948===
[[File:הר היתים (והר הבית).jpg|thumb|Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives]]
The [[1949 Armistice Agreements|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 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.<ref>To Rule Jerusalem By Roger Friedland, Richard Hecht, 2000, p. 39, "Tourists entering East Jerusalem had to present baptismal certificates or other proof they were not Jewish."</ref><ref>Thomas A Idinopulos, Jerusalem, 1994, p. 300, "So severe were the Jordanian restrictions against Jews gaining access to the old city that visitors wishing to cross over from west Jerusalem...had to produce a baptismal certificate."</ref><ref>Armstrong, Karen, Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths, 1997, "Only clergy, diplomats, UN personnel, and a few privileged tourists were permitted to go from one side to the other. The Jordanians required most tourists to produce baptismal certificates—to prove they were not Jewish ... ."</ref>

By the end of 1949, and throughout the Jordanian rule of 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.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5okHDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT152|title=Between Cultural Diversity and Common Heritage: Legal and Religious Perspectives on the Sacred Places of the Mediterranean|last1=Ferrari|first1=Silvio|last2=Benzo|first2=Andrea|date=2016-04-15|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317175025|language=en}}</ref> In 1964, the [[Seven Arches Hotel|Intercontinental Hotel]] was built at the summit of the mount. Graves were also demolished for [[parking lot]]s and a [[filling station]]<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/world/middleeast/10jerusalem.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&em | work=The New York Times | title=Parks Fortify Israel's Claim to Jerusalem | first1=Ethan | last1=Bronner | first2=Isabel | last2=Kershner | date=2009-05-10 | access-date=2010-03-27}}</ref> and were used in [[latrine]]s at a [[Jordanian Army]] barracks.<ref>{{cite book|last=Alon|first=Amos|author-link=Amos Elon|title=Jerusalem: Battlegrounds of Memory|publisher=Kodansha Int'l|location=New York|year=1995|page=[https://archive.org/details/jerusalembattleg0000elon/page/75 75]|isbn=1-56836-099-1|quote=After 1967, it was discovered that tombstones had been removed from the ancient cemetery to pave the latrines of a nearby Jordanian army barrack.|url=https://archive.org/details/jerusalembattleg0000elon/page/75}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Meron Benvenisti|title=City of Stone: The Hidden History of Jerusalem|url=https://archive.org/details/cityofstonehidde00benvrich|url-access=registration|year=1996|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-91868-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/cityofstonehidde00benvrich/page/228 228]}}</ref><ref>Har-El, Menashe. [https://books.google.com/books?id=9Z2cFY9iGqgC&pg=PA126 Golden Jerusalem], Gefen Publishing House Ltd, 2004, p. 126. {{ISBN|965-229-254-0}}. "The majority (50,000 of the 70,000) was desecrated by the Arabs during the nineteen years of Jordanian rule in eastern Jerusalem."</ref><ref>Tessler, Mark A. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3kbU4BIAcrQC&pg=PA329 A History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict], Indiana University Press, 1994. p. 329. {{ISBN|0-253-20873-4}}.</ref> The [[United Nations]] did not condemn the Jordanian government for these actions.<ref>{{cite book|last=Blum|first=Yehuda Zvi|author-link=Yehuda Zvi Blum|title=For Zion's Sake|year=1987|publisher=Associated University Presse|isbn=978-0-8453-4809-3|page=99}}</ref>

===State of Israel===
Following the 1967 [[Six-Day War]] restoration work was done and the cemetery was reopened for burials. Israel's 1980 [[Jerusalem Law|unilateral annexation]] of East Jerusalem was condemned as a violation of international law and ruled null and void by the UN Security Council in [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 478|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]].<ref>[http://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=163398 Mount of Olives security beefed up to stop vandalism], Jerusalem Post 17-12-2009</ref><ref>[http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Editorials/Article.aspx?id=175637 Has Israel abandoned the Mount of Olives?], Jerusalem Post 15-05-2010</ref><ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3888827,00.html Vandalism returns to Mount of Olives cemetery], Ynet News 12-05-2010</ref><ref name=shameful>[http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Editorials/Article.aspx?id=194272 Shameful dereliction at the Mt. of Olives Cemetery], Jerusalem Post 06-11-2010</ref>

On 6 November 2010, an international watch-committee was set up by [[Jewish diaspora|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 the imagination."<ref name=shameful/>

==Religious significance==

===Hebrew Bible references===
====David and Absalom====
The Mount of Olives is first mentioned in connection with [[David]]'s flight from [[Absalom]]
([[Books of Samuel|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 (historic)|City of David]], near the village of [[Silwan]].<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

====Site of "the glory of the Lord"====
The sacred character of the mount is alluded to in the [[Book of Ezekiel]] (11:23): "And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city."<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

===="Mount of Corruption"====
The biblical designation Mount of Corruption, or in Hebrew ''Har HaMashchit'' ([[Books of Kings|I Kings]] 11:7–8), derives from the [[Idolatry in the Bible|idol worship]] there, begun by [[King Solomon]] building altars to the gods of his [[Moab]]ite and [[Ammon]]ite wives on the southern peak, "on the mountain which is before (east of) Jerusalem" ({{bibleverse|1 Kings|11:7}}), just outside the limits of the holy city. This site was known for idol worship throughout the [[First Temple]] period, until King [[Josiah]] finally destroyed "the high places that were before Jerusalem, to the right of Har HaMashchit..."([[Books of Kings|II Kings]] 23:13).

====Apocalypse, resurrection, and burials====
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 ({{bibleverse|Zechariah|14:4}}). According to the [[Masoretic Text]], people will flee through this newly formed valley to a place called [[Azal (Bible)|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 the [[King's Garden (Jerusalem)|King's Gardens]] was blocked up by landslide rubble during Uzziah's earthquake.<ref>[[Flavius Josephus]], ''[[Antiquities of the Jews]]'', book 9, chapter 10, paragraph 4, verse 225, [[William Whiston]]</ref> Israeli geologists Wachs and Levitte identified the remnant of a large landslide on the Mount of Olives directly adjacent to this area.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Daniel |last1=Wachs |first2=Dov |last2=Levitte |title=Earthquake Risk and Slope Stability in Jerusalem |journal=Environmental Geology and Water Sciences |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=183–86 |year=1984 |doi=10.1007/BF02509912 |bibcode=1984EnGeo...6..183W }}</ref> 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 is Azal.<ref>[[Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau|Charles Clermont-Ganneau]], Archaeological Researches in Palestine, Vol. 1. p. 420, 1899; Charles Clermont-Ganneau, [[Palestine Exploration Fund]] Quarterly Statement, April 1874, p. 102</ref> 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.<!-- removed original research - repost with attribution only. "If Clermont-Ganneau is correct, the notion of people fleeing ''east'' through the split Mount of Olives to Azal is impossible because"-->

Many Jews have wanted to be buried on the Mount of Olives since antiquity, based on the Jewish tradition (from the Biblical verse Zechariah 14:4) that when the Messiah comes, the resurrection of the dead will begin there.<ref>[http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Tourist%20Information/Jewish%20Themes/Jewish_Sites/Pages/Mount%20of%20Olives%20Jewish%20Cemetery%20jew.aspx Mount of Olives description, from www.goisrael.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320181105/http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Tourist%20Information/Jewish%20Themes/Jewish_Sites/Pages/Mount%20of%20Olives%20Jewish%20Cemetery%20jew.aspx |date=2012-03-20 }}, retrieved January 4, 2012.</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=May 2015}} There are an estimated 150,000 graves on the Mount. Notable [[rabbi]]s 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 (Hebrew prophet)|Zechariah]] and [[Absalom]], and a burial complex of the same period on the upper slope as the [[Tomb of the Prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi]].

===New Testament references===
[[File:Enrique Simonet - Flevit super illam 1892.jpg|thumb|''[[Flevit super illam]]'' (He wept over it); by [[Enrique Simonet]], 1892]]

The Mount of Olives is frequently mentioned in the [[New Testament]]<ref>{{bibleref|Matthew|21:1}}; 26:30, etc.</ref> as part of the route from Jerusalem to [[al-Eizariya|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 the [[Olivet Discourse]], returning after each day to rest ([[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 21:37, and John 8:1 in the additional section of John's Gospel known as the ''[[John 8#Pericope adulterae|Pericope Adulterae]]''), and also coming there on the night of his betrayal.<ref>{{bibleref|Matthew|26:39}}</ref> At the foot of the Mount of Olives lies the [[Gethsemane|Garden of Gethsemane]]. The New Testament tells how Jesus and his disciples sang together – "When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives" [[Gospel of Matthew]] 26:30. Jesus [[Ascension of Jesus|ascended to heaven]] from the Mount of Olives according to Acts 1:9–12.

===Gnostic references===
Again, the story of Jesus with his disciples on the Mount of Olives can be found in the [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] text [[Pistis Sophia]], dated around the 3rd to 4th century CE.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[G. R. S. Mead]]|title=Pistis Sophia|url=http://www.gnosis.org/library/pistis-sophia/ps006.htm|publisher=Jazzybee Verlag|year=1963|chapter=2}}</ref>

==Landmarks==
Landmarks at the top of the Mount of Olives include the [[Augusta Victoria Hospital]] with the Lutheran Church of the Ascension and its massive {{Convert|50|m|ft|adj=on}} [[bell tower]], the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension with its tall and slender bell tower, the Mosque or [[Chapel of the Ascension (Jerusalem)|Chapel of the Ascension]], the [[Church of the Pater Noster]], and the [[Seven Arches Hotel]]. On the western slope are the historic [[Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery|Jewish cemetery]], the [[Tomb of the Prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi|Tomb of the Prophets]], the Catholic [[Dominus Flevit Church|Church of Dominus Flevit]], and the Russian Orthodox [[Church of Mary Magdalene]]. At the foot of the mount, where it meets the [[Kidron Valley]], there is the Garden of [[Gethsemane]] with the [[Church of All Nations (Jerusalem)|Church of All Nations]]. Within the Kidron Valley itself are the [[Mary's Tomb|Tomb of the Virgin Mary]], the Grotto of Gethsemane, and the nearby tomb of the medieval historian [[Mujir al-Din|Mujir ed-Din]], and further south are the tombs of [[Tomb of Absalom|Absalom]] (Hebrew name: Yad Avshalom), the [[Tomb of Benei Hezir|Hezir priestly family]] and of [[Tomb of Zechariah|Zechariah]]. At the northern margin of Mount Olivet stand the [[Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center|Mormon University]] with the [[Orson Hyde Memorial Garden]] and the Jewish settlement of [[Beit Orot]], bordering on the [[Emek Tzurim National Park|Tzurim Valley]] and the Mitzpe Hamasu'ot ('Beacons Lookout') site, where the [[Temple Mount Sifting Project]] facilities are located.<ref name="ATG">Alternative Tourism Group (ATG)- Study Center. ''The Mount of Olives '' [http://atg.ps/palestine/west-bank]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mountofolives.co.il/eng/panorama.aspx?index=18 |title=Emek Tzurim |year=2009 |access-date=2010-07-16 |publisher=The City of David |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212044931/http://www.mountofolives.co.il/eng/panorama.aspx?index=18 |archive-date=2010-02-12 }}</ref> What lays north of here belongs to Mount Scopus.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} On the south-eastern slope of the Mount of Olives lies 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.<ref name="ATG"/>

The construction of the [[Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center]] for [[Middle Eastern studies|Near Eastern Studies]], better known locally as the Mormon University, owned and operated by [[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.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/Jerusalem3.html#Scopus |title= Jerusalem – Beyond the Old City Walls |publisher= Jewishvirtuallibrary.org |date= July 22, 1946 |access-date=2013-03-26}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Siur wikipedia in Jerusalem 080608 57.JPG|[[Augusta Victoria Hospital]] and its church
File:7 Arches hotel.jpg|[[Seven Arches Hotel]]
File:Church of Mary Magdalene1.jpg|The [[Russian Orthodox]] [[Church of Mary Magdalene]]
File:Kidron jerusalem (10).JPG|[[BYU Jerusalem Center]] (the "Mormon University")
File:Jerusalem Church of all nations BW 7.jpg|[[Church of All Nations]], [[Gethsemane]]
File:Yad Avshalom.JPG|So-called "[[Tomb of Absalom]]"
File:Jerusalem - Pyramide de Zacharie.jpg|So-called "[[Tomb of Zechariah]]"
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery]]
*[[Beit Orot]], Jewish settlement on the Mount of Olives
*[[Ma'ale ha-Zeitim]], Jewish settlement on the Mount of Olives
*[[Olivet (disambiguation)]]
{{Wide image|Mountofolivespanoramic.jpg|600px|Mount of Olives in July 2009|box width|alignment|alt=alt text}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*[https://mountofolives.co.il/en/ Mount of Olives website]
*[https://harhazeisim.org/ Har Hazeitim website]
*Interactive Panoramas of the Mount of Olives – [https://web.archive.org/web/20140217082719/http://jerusalem360.com/panoramas/mount_of_olives_overlook jerusalem360.com], [https://web.archive.org/web/20140210083621/http://www.gojerusalem.com/article_1153/Mount-of-Olives---Virtual-Tour GoJerusalem.com]
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Olives, Mount of|short=x}}

{{Cemeteries in Jerusalem}}
{{New Testament places associated with Jesus}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olives, Mount}}
[[Category:Mount of Olives| ]]
[[Category:Cemeteries in Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Cemeteries in Palestine]]
[[Category:Jewish cemeteries in Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Mountains of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Neighbourhoods of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Geography of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible mountains]]
[[Category:New Testament mountains]]
[[Category:Sacred mountains of West Asia|Olives]]
[[Category:Land of Israel]]