Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem. ...the Garden of Gethsemane, a word signifying The garden, still a quiet and secluded spot, is surrounded by a wall and forms an irregular square, with a diameter of 70 paces. It belongs to the Franciscans. The earliest account of the place dates from the 4th cent.; and in this case tradition tallies with the Bible narrative. ... The garden contains eight venerable which are said to date from the time of Christ; their trunks have split with age and are shored up with (1912) World031
The Middle Eastern Airlines flight from Beirut landed at Jerusalems Atarot Airport at 8:30 a.m. This allowed for a full day of sightseeing before pushing on to Cairo. Jerusalem was the ninth stop on the Around the World trip. In 1963 East Jerusalem and the West Bank were governed by Jordan. (It was before the six Day War in 1967.) A series of private cars, mostly American models, transported the group. The first stop was Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity. The church was built about over the traditional site of Jesus birthplace, the Nativity Grotto. It was rebuilt in the 6th century under Justinian. Next on the drive through the Judean Desert was a stop at the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1946. Returning to East Jerusalem, the old city (also under Jordanian administration), we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is said to be built on the site of Golgotha where Jesus was crucified. One was invited to put ones hand down through a hole to touch the spot Jesus foot had touched. This I did. It was a rocky point, smoothed by hundreds of thousands of touches. I
Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem. Note the Bethlehem Cross at upper right. The large Church of the Nativity, erected over the traditional birthplace of Christ, lies in the E. part of the town ... The assertion that the present church is the original structure is based on the simplicity of its style and the absence of characteristics of the buildings of the subsequent era of Justinian. Other authorities consider it beyond question that the building underwent considerable restoration in the days of Justinian In any case, it is not only extremely old, but specially interesting as an example of the earliest Christian style of architecture. ... In front of the principal entrance on the W. side lies a large paved space, in which traces of the former atrium of Constantine‘s basilica have been (1912) IMG00627p1
leaned that Golgotha was not a hill, but more of a mound, 20 feet high I believe the guide said. After the formal tour, my mother and i walked through the Garden of Gethsemane and to the Dome of the Rock, significant to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The mosque was built on the Temple Mount in The Temple Mount is the site of the Second Temple of Judaism, built ca. 516 BCE and destroyed in 70.
The Atarot Airport was them active for air travel to Jerusalem, but was closed in 2000. We flew on to Cairo from here.
The Old City of Jerusalem and is Walls was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981. The Church of the Nativity was named to the World Heritage list in 2012 and Battir in 2014.
