Mount of Olives Mountain

The Mount of Olives is an east-facing ridge immediately to the east of Jerusalem’s Old City that is important in Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions. It forms a natural overlook above the Kidron Valley and contains a concentration of religious sites and cemeteries.

Key visitor features include panoramic viewpoints over the Old City and Temple Mount, the extensive historic Jewish Cemetery, Christian pilgrimage sites such as the Dominus Flevit church and the Chapel of the Ascension, and paths leading to the Garden of Gethsemane at the mountain’s base. The ridge is an active pilgrimage destination year-round.

The Mount of Olives appears frequently in biblical accounts and has been used as a burial ground and place of worship for many centuries; it remains a focal point for processions, pilgrimages and religious commemoration. Control and access to parts of the ridge have changed through successive historical periods but it has retained continuous religious significance.

Geographically the mount sits immediately east of Jerusalem’s Old City across the Kidron Valley and forms a prominent skyline feature seen from the city centre.

• Best views: offers panoramic views eastward over the Old City of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa compound and the Kidron Valley, making it a widely used vantage point for photography and pilgrimage.
• Historic cemetery: contains one of the oldest and most extensive Jewish cemeteries in the world, with burials that span many centuries.

What to See#

• Jewish Cemetery: A large and historic Jewish cemetery on the slopes of the ridge containing many thousands of graves and used for burials for centuries.
• Dominus Flevit: A 20th-century church marking the traditional site where Christian tradition holds that Jesus wept over Jerusalem; it is sited on the western slope facing the Old City.
• Chapel of the Ascension: A small domed shrine and site venerated in Christian tradition as the place of the Ascension; the site has both a chapel and an open area marking the location.

The Mount of Olives sits immediately east of Jerusalem’s Old City; the road up the ridge is Ma’ale HaZeitim (Mount of Olives Road). From the Old City’s eastern gates (Lion’s Gate) it is an uphill walk of roughly 10-20 minutes; from central Jerusalem a taxi or private car takes about 5-15 minutes.

Jerusalem city buses and shared taxis serve stops on Ma’ale HaZeitim and nearby neighborhoods (ask locally for the Mount of Olives/Har HaZeitim stop). If arriving by car, follow local signage east from the Old City onto Ma’ale HaZeitim; parking is available at a few viewing points and at the main cemetery and church sites.

• Aim for early morning (sunrise) for the clearest light on the Old City and far fewer visitors; approach the Mount of Olives on foot from Lion's Gate if you're coming from the Old City to save time and avoid steep vehicle routes.
• Don't just stop at the viewpoint - walk the ridge to Dominus Flevit and the Pater Noster church for quieter overlooks that many day-trippers miss, and take time to pass through the historic Jewish cemetery for its scale and views over Jerusalem.
• Avoid peak tour-bus hours (late morning to mid-afternoon) by starting your visit at opening or midweek; once crowds arrive, head uphill away from the Garden of Gethsemane slopes where most groups concentrate.