- Address: Jerusalem, Israel;
- Phone: +972 2-627-5050.
Ask any Jew where he would like to be buried, and he will answer: "Of course, on the Mount of Olives ." Located in the holy city of the three religions, on the most sacred hill, having a history of thousands and fanned by ancient legends. Not many are honored to rest on the Olive Cemetery, but absolutely everything is dreaming about it. After visiting here you will feel the extraordinary energy that reigns here, you will see many ancient tombs and graves of outstanding people.
Features of the Jewish cemetery
Jews at burial observe some traditions that differ from Christian and Muslim.
In Judaism, very strict attitude to the rule of "non-infringement of graves". Rebounds of the deceased are allowed only in special cases: if the cemetery is threatened by some disaster (water washing or other kind of profanity) or the body is exhumed for the purpose of transferring it to a family grave or to the Holy Land.
In the Jewish cemetery you will not see any monuments, no crosses, no flowers. Here it is customary to use as a tombstone to install massive rectangular plates with engraved inscriptions in Hebrew. On the back of the plate there is a small depression for the funeral candle, protected from wind and rain.
And on the Jewish cemetery, almost on each grave lie stones of different shapes and sizes. In Judaism, the stone symbolizes eternity. In addition, the stones are known to be an excellent conductor of human energy. Therefore, leaving stones in the cemetery, you give a piece of yourself, showing respect to the deceased. If there are other versions of the appearance of this tradition. They say that earlier they also laid flowers on the Jewish graves, but in the hot desert they very quickly withered, that's why they were replaced with stones. Some Orthodox believe that the gravestones are equal in their power to the fragments of the destroyed Jewish temple.
The oldest and most expensive cemetery in Israel
The Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives is different from all the rest. And it's not just about his solid age and closeness to the capital, but in a special location. According to the words of the prophet Zechariah, as soon as the end of the world comes, the Messiah will rise on the Mount of Olives and with the first sounds of Ezekiel's pipe will begin to resurrect the dead. Every Jew dreams of being among those who will first find a life after death. That's why it's a great honor to be buried on the Mount of Olives. The cemetery is still open for burial, but the price of the space allocated for the grave is extremely high. Not many can afford this luxury. Recently, only high-ranking officials and outstanding Jews are buried here (politicians, writers, public figures).
In total there are more than 150,000 graves in the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives. According to historians, the first burials at the foot of the mountain are about 2500 years, that is, a cemetery appeared in the era of the First Temple (950-586 BC). During the Second Temple period, the tombs of Zachary bin Joyadai and Absalom appeared, and the cemetery itself expanded to the north and covered the mountain slopes.
The most visited place by tourists on the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives is the cave of the Prophets . According to the legend, here lie Zacharias, Haggai, Mal'ahi and other Old Testament characters (total of 36 funerary niches). However, there is no confirmation of this, it is quite possible that the ancient graves were simply named after the great preachers, and ordinary people are buried there.
What to see next to the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives?
- Church of all nations ;
- Greek monastery of the Ascension ;
- the Church of Augustus of Victoria ;
- the chapel of the Ascension ;
- Savior-Ascension Monastery ;
- St. Mary's Church ;
- the tomb of the Virgin ;
- church of Pater .
How to get there?
To the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives can be reached on foot from the Old City of Jerusalem . The closest way is from the Lion Gate (about 650 meters).
At the foot of the Mount of Olives and on its top there are car parks. You can drive here by car from any part of the city.
If you get by public transport, you can use shuttle buses 51, 205, 206, 236, 257. All of them stop nearby (on Ras Al-Amud Square / Jericho Road).