Kidron Valley
The Kidron Valley sits between Mount Moriah (which I am standing in front of in the photo above) and the Mount of Olives.
Abraham would have crossed the Kidron Valley enroute to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah.
3,000 years ago David stood in this valley beholding the Jebusite stronghold which would become Jerusalem, the City of David.
Hebrews believe that this valley is also where King David would have been standing when he “looked up” to see the Angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth (1 Chronicles 21).
When fleeing Absalom, King David escaped through the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives.
A thousand years later, Jesus would often stay with his best friend Lazarus in the suburb of Bethany. When Jesus would head into Jerusalem, He would cross over the Mount of Olives and through the Kidron Valley enroute to the Temple.
The Western Wall
As Jesus predicted, the Roman Empire ransacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in 70 AD.
The only portion that remains standing to this day is a portion of the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall. Jews revere this wall as their holiest spot since it faces where the Holy of Holies would have been (now covered by a Mosque and the Dome of the Rock).
We were not allowed to photograph directly at the Wall, and so we snapped these photos from a ledge above the area before making our way to the Wall for prayer.
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
We visited this historic site built under the direction of Constantinople’s mother Helena in the 4th Century. This building is so ancient that is even boasts graffitti from the Crusaders!
The entryway (pictured here) has remained virtually unchanged since the 12th Century. This site contains where many believe Jesus was crucified and His nearby empty tomb.
You can read more about the Church of the Holy Sepulchre’s history here.
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Helena had this structure built over the site of the Empty Tomb. [/caption]