The Mount of Olives

We took this photo of Jerusalem from the flat roof of our hotel. In the distance is the Mount of Olives, from which Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:12). A tower now tops the mount. Jesus and his disciples camped outside the city walls in the Garden of Gethsemene on the Mount of Olives when they came to Jerusalem. The Dead Sea is beyond the mount in this photo.

The Mount of Olives was covered with trees in Jesus' day. Most of them were cut down by Romans during the seige of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Some olive trees grew back from the roots after they were cut, however, and are believed to be the same trees that were there in Jesus' time.

The golden Dome of the Rock is on the site of the ancient Temple.