The Tomb Of Absalom In Jerusalem
This past Passover holiday I finally had the chance to visit a spot previously only seen from the car, The Tomb of Absalom. Absolutely do include this in your next visit to Jerusalem’s Old City, it is truly interesting! Located in the Kidron Valley, or Valley of The Kings, at the bottom of the Mount of Olives Jewish cemetary, the Tomb of Absalom is not really a tomb as far as anyone knows, and if it it, not of Absalom, but so be it, history gets a bit mixed up sometimes over the course of thousands of years! Just as the Tower of David has nothing to do with David, as he lived in the City of David, not far from Absalom’s Tomb, so too, sorry to say Absalom lucked out with this one! In any case, Absalom’s tomb is easily accessible via a long staircase from the road that leads to the Dung Gate, just exit the Kotel via Dung Gate, turn right, walk down the road, and you’ll find it! Okay, lets take a closer look!
This splendid burial monument dates to the end of the Second Temple period. The lower part of the monument is hewn from the stone on the site, and the upper part is constructed. The name derives from the biblical verse that tells of Absalom’s construction of a monument for himself during his lifetime, which he called Absalom’s monument. However, there is no connection between the account in the Torah, and the structure you see here, which was built 1,000 years later. The style in which the monument was hewn combines various architectural traditions typical of Jewish design at the end of the Second Temple period. The interior of the monument is hollow, containing a staircase and a burial niche. Though it is not clear if it was used for burial.
Wow, on this day of Chol Hamoed Passover there was a festival with crafts and camel rides and tours, which explains all the people!
Police on horseback is always dramatic, though even without them, this site is amazing!
A photo circa 1900 shows a group of Jews gathered at Absalom’s tomb, looking towards the Temple Mount. This was taken from the Mount of Olives cemetary above the tomb, and the road in the background does not exist today as far as I can tell.
Come experience the amazing history in Israel, you won’t regret it!
