Jaffa Gate, western gate in the wall surrounding the Old City. The current wall has eight gates and was built by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the early 1500s upon the remains of the ancient walls.
Church of the Holy Sepulchre within the Christian Quarter of the Old City. This church was built in the 4th century in the west part of the city over the site that was purported to be Golgotha as well as the tomb where Jesus was buried.
Remains of the first wall that was built around Jerusalem at the time of King David. These remains are within the Jewish Quarter of the Old City.
Al-Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount, built in 8th century. It adjoins what was the south wall of the Temple.
The southwestern corner (or pinnacle) of Temple Mount. It is almost certain that it was from this pinnacle that Satan tempted Jesus to jump as this was the only pinnacle by which ran a busy thoroughfare. South wall of the Temple and Al-Aqsa Mosque seen.
Steps leading up to what was the south wall of the Temple; the south wall was the main entrance to the Temple. Some of these steps are original from the time of Jesus. When he was on earth Jesus would have walked these steps every time he entered or left the Temple.
The cave underneath the Church of the Nativity where Jesus was born. In the days of Jesus stables were in caves; Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room in the inns (most likely because Jesus was born during Passover week when Jerusalem and surrounding areas are very crowded).
The exact site where Jesus was born is marked by a 14-point silver star on the floor.
Bethlehem in the spring.
Masada.
Located in the Judean wilderness along the southern border of the Dead Sea.
Remains of the Masada complex on top of the mesa.
Looking northward from the top of the mesa. One can see remains of the palace that Herod the Great built at Masada between 37-31 B.C.
The ramp the Romans built in 73 A.D. to reach the top of the mesa.
Dead Sea
The lowest point on earth at 417 m below sea level and becoming lower every year by another 2-3 feet.
Qumran.
Located in the Judean wilderness along the northern border of the Dead Sea.
Cave 4, one of many caves from which the Dead Sea scrolls were found.
Kibbutz Ma'agan on the Sea of Galilee. This was the hotel we stayed at during our time in the Galilee.
Hebrew Coke.
The headwaters of the Jordan River in northern Israel near Mount Hermon.
The Sea of Galilee taken from the western shore near the spot where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount.
The Sea of Galilee.
Remains of Capernaum (found within the bunch of dark trees).
Jezreel Valley (aka Valley of Armageddon). Mount Tabor is directly to our right (not in the picture); in 1979 while visiting Israel President Kimball revealed that Mount Tabor was the Mount of Transfiguration, not Mount Hermon.
Nazareth with view of the Church of the Annunciation in the center.
View of the Nazareth stone quarries with Jezreel Valley in the background. This picture was taken from atop the hill off of which it is believed the Jews attempted to throw Jesus.
Roman aqueduct that brought water from Mount Carmel southward along the Mediterranean Sea to Caesarea.
Hippodrome of Caesarea.
Remains of the only extra-Biblical evidence proving the existence of Pontius Pilate. This stone was found in 1961 at Caesarea (the original resides in the Israel Museum next to evidence proving the existence of the High Priest Caiaphus; the exhibit is meant to prove the existence of Jesus).
Dome of the Rock Mosque, the third most holiest site of Islam.
Gardens surrounding Dome of the Rock Mosque. The mosque was built in the 7th century and enshrines the rock upon which Muslims believe Abraham sacrificed Ishmael; the location of the mosque is also believed by Muslims to be the site where Muhammad's night journey into heaven occurred.
Lions Gate, one of two gates along the eastern wall of the Old City (the other gate, Golden Gate or Gate Beautiful, opens directly onto Temple Mount; this gate is closed because a Muslim cemetery sits directly in front of it).
Model city of Jerusalem (at the time of Jesus) built to scale. This adjoins the Shrine of the Book (Dead Sea scrolls exhibit) which is a wing of the Israel Museum. Bonnie is standing next to the Temple (picture taken as though from the Mount of Olives looking directly west).
Sabbath morning (Saturday) at the BYU Jerusalem Center. One of the best Sacrament meetings ever; the chapel walls are all glass and seating, which is theater-style, is situated such that one is looking out over the Old City during the entire meeting.
Orson Hyde memorial garden on the Mount of Olives.
The Western Wall (aka Wailing Wall) of Temple Mount, original western wall of the second temple that was built in 19 B.C. This wall was present in the days of Jesus.
The Western Wall. Head covering required, not necessarily a kippa (or yarmulke), but any functional head covering was acceptable. A barrier (to my left) separated the men and women; men worshipped on one side of the barrier and the women on the other.
An "Upper Room" located very close to where the Last Supper occurred.
Mount of Olives near the Garden of Gethsemane.
Taken from the top of the Mount of Olives looking westward at Temple Mount. The small black-topped pavilion (Dome of the Tablets) lines up in a perfect east-to-west line with the Golden Gate and the top of the Mount of Olives. It is almost certain that the Temple Holy of Holies was located at the site of the Dome of the Tablets.
Near the top of the Mount of Olives reading the New Testament account of Jesus' suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane which suffering almost certainly occurred at the top of the Mount of Olives (the location of the sacrifice of the red heifer) and the location to which he will appear at His second coming.
Church of St Peter in Gallicantu ("cock's crow") built over the site of High Priest Caiaphus' palace (just southwest of Temple Mount). From the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus was taken to Caiaphus' palace where he was subjected to an illegal nighttime trial.
Pit underneath the church into which it is believed Jesus was lowered hanging by a rope (based on Psalms 88).
Statue in the courtyard of the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu (Peter sitting next to a campfire and women talking to him). The translation of the Latin inscription says "I know not the man".
These are the original steps leading up to Caiaphus' palace; Jesus almost certainly would have walked these steps.
Herod's Gate, one of three gates along the northern wall surrounding the Old City.
Via Dolorosa, the path through the Old City believed by many Christians to be the course Jesus walked with his cross to the place of execution outside the city wall. We saw large groups of people from around the world walking the entire path from start (Lions Gate) to finish (Church of the Holy Sepulchre) singing, chanting, and carrying crosses.
Damascus Gate, one of three gates along the northern wall surrounding the Old City.
Golgotha, immediately adjacent to the Garden Tomb, both of which are just north of the Old City along the road to Jericho. In ancient Israel sacrifices in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple were required to be performed "on the side of the altar northward before the Lord" to symbolize the fact that Jesus would be sacrificed north of the altar of the Temple, not west of the altar.
Garden Tomb. In 1979 President Kimball visited the tomb and verified that this is indeed where Jesus was buried.
The scriptures say that the tomb in which Jesus was buried was new, or unfinished, and hewn out of rock. This tomb is typical for tombs of Jesus' day having a wailing/mourning chamber and a chamber for burying the dead. This picture was taken from the wailing chamber (burial chamber on other side of the gate). In this tomb the burial chamber is partitioned for three bodies; only one partition was completed (the far left partition) which is where Jesus would have been laid.
The spot where Jesus' body was laid.
