Jerusalem - Jewish Cemetery

The desire to be in Jerusalem on the Day of Judgment has led both Jews and Muslims to establish cemeteries on either side of the Kidron valley, on the slopes of the Mount of Olives and below the walls on the Temple Mount. The large Jewish cemetery dates back to Biblical times, and associated with it are the large funerary monuments to be seen along its lower edge, on the left of the road. They are attributed to various Old and New Testament figures but in fact all date from Hellenistic or Herodian times. They are not masonry-built but are almost entirely hewn from the rock, in the hybrid Hellenistic/Roman style of their period.