Mount of Olives: The World's Oldest Active Cemetery

The Mountain That Faces the Temple

The Mount of Olives rises east of Jerusalem’s Old City, separated from the Temple Mount by the narrow Kidron Valley. From its summit, the view is one of the most iconic in the world — the golden Dome of the Rock, the Old City walls, and the sweep of Jerusalem spreading across the Judean hills.

For 3,000 years, Jews have chosen this mountain as their preferred place of burial. The reason is theological: the prophet Zechariah (14:4) prophesied that when God comes to redeem the world, “His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two.” Jewish tradition understood this to mean that the resurrection of the dead would begin here.

To be buried on the Mount of Olives is to be among the first to rise.

150,000 Graves

The cemetery contains an estimated 150,000 graves, making it one of the largest and oldest continuously used burial grounds in the world. The graves cascade down the mountainside in terraced rows, their white stone markers creating a visual pattern that is both beautiful and overwhelming.

The cemetery spans the full arc of Jewish history. Ancient tombs from the First Temple period — carved into the rock of the mountainside — sit near graves from the Second Temple era. Medieval rabbis rest beside modern scholars. The most recent graves are from the present day — burial on the Mount of Olives continues, though plots are extremely scarce and expensive.

Notable Burials

The Mount of Olives is the final resting place of figures from every era of Jewish history:

Ancient traditions: The Tomb of the Prophets — a cave complex on the mountainside — is traditionally associated with the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, though the archaeological evidence dates the actual tombs to the Byzantine period. The pillar-tomb known as Absalom’s Pillar (actually a 1st-century BCE monument) stands dramatically in the Kidron Valley below.

Medieval scholars: Rabbi Obadiah of Bartenura (c. 1445-1515), whose commentary on the Mishnah is printed in virtually every edition and studied in every yeshiva, is buried here.

Modern figures: Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (1858-1922), the man who revived Hebrew as a spoken language. Henrietta Szold (1860-1945), founder of Hadassah. Prime Minister Menachem Begin (1913-1992), who chose burial here over the national cemetery at Mount Herzl.

Desecration Under Jordan

The most painful chapter in the Mount of Olives’ modern history occurred during the Jordanian occupation of East Jerusalem from 1948 to 1967.

Despite the 1949 Armistice Agreement, which guaranteed Jewish access to holy sites in Jordanian-controlled territory, Jews were completely barred from the cemetery. No visits, no prayers, no maintenance.

Worse, the cemetery was actively desecrated. An estimated 38,000 headstones were destroyed, removed, or damaged. Tombstones were used as:

• Building materials for Jordanian military installations
• Paving stones for roads and pathways
• Flooring for army latrines — a deliberate act of sacrilege

The Intercontinental Hotel was built on the northern part of the cemetery, and a road was paved through burial grounds, destroying graves in the process.

Restoration After 1967

After Israel recaptured East Jerusalem in the Six-Day War, the extent of the damage became apparent. Restoration began immediately but proved enormously difficult — many headstones had been shattered or could not be matched to specific graves.

The International Committee for the Preservation of the Mount of Olives has worked to document the damage, restore graves where possible, and maintain the cemetery. New sections have been opened, and burial continues.

Despite restoration efforts, the Mount of Olives remains vulnerable. Reports of vandalism, stone-throwing at visitors, and damage to graves continue periodically, and the cemetery’s location in East Jerusalem makes it a politically sensitive site.

The Panorama

For visitors, the Mount of Olives offers the most spectacular panoramic view of Jerusalem. From the overlook near the Seven Arches Hotel, the entire Old City spreads below — the golden Dome of the Rock, the silver dome of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Tower of David, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Western Wall plaza.

At sunset, the limestone buildings of Jerusalem turn golden, and the graves of the Mount of Olives glow in the last light. It is one of those rare views that explains why this particular city has inspired more devotion, more conflict, and more longing than any other place on earth.

Between Death and Hope

The Mount of Olives embodies Judaism’s characteristic approach to death — which is not morbid but deeply hopeful. The graves face west, toward the Temple Mount, as though the dead are waiting, watching, ready. The belief in resurrection transforms the cemetery from a place of ending into a place of anticipation.

As Jews have done for three millennia, they continue to bring their dead to this mountain overlooking Jerusalem — trusting that the view they chose in death will be the first thing they see when they rise.