Bible Geography · East Jerusalem · c. 1000 BC – Present
Mount of Olives
Description
The Mount of Olives is a limestone ridge about 2.6 kilometers long running north to south just east of Jerusalem's Old City, across the Kidron Valley. It rises to about 818 meters above sea level, slightly higher than the Temple Mount. Named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes, it served as both a place of worship and a royal burial ground.
Significance
The Mount of Olives is eschatologically significant, as Zechariah prophesied that God would stand on it at the end of days and it would split in two. It was from this mount that Jesus ascended to heaven and, according to prophecy, He will return to the same place at His Second Coming.
Key Events
David's flight from Absalom weeping barefoot up the mount, Solomon building altars to foreign gods on its slopes, Jesus' triumphal entry descending the mount on Palm Sunday, the Olivet Discourse on signs of the end times, Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, and His ascension to heaven.
Modern Context
The Mount of Olives today contains one of the world's largest and oldest Jewish cemeteries, where Jews have sought burial for millennia in anticipation of the resurrection. Major Christian sites include the Chapel of the Ascension, the Church of All Nations at Gethsemane, and the Dominus Flevit church.