Garden Tomb and the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies (R)

This hill near the Garden Tomb is believed by some to be Calvary, Golgotha , the place of the skull, where Christ was crucified. It is a limestone hill north of the Old City. The area in front of the hill was a quarry(when the stone got too soft for use, the hill was left) and was a place of execution in the time of the second temple. This temple was built in the 6th century BC.

The Garden Tomb is in modern Jerusalem outside the old city wall. It is a beautiful, quiet and serene garden.
The Garden Tomb is an alternative site to the Holy Sepulcher for the place of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. It was discovered in 1867 by the English and it is owned by a non-denominational charitable group in the United Kingdom. It is believed by many to be the garden and sepulcher of Joseph of Arimathea.

Going into the tomb.  Originally the door was shorter.

The tomb is composed of two chambers, a mourning chamber and burial chamber. This photo shows part of the burial chamber.

A Byzantine Cross painted on the wall inside the tomb

Outside the Tomb

The entrance was sealed with a rolling stone which rolled in this groove.


THE BYU JERUSALEM CENTER FOR NEAR EASTERN STUDIES

We felt very fortunate to be able to go on a tour of the BYU Jerusalem Center on Mount Scopus.  If we hadn't been delayed leaving Jerusalem, we would have missed seeing this beautiful building.  The day we came was the first day that the center was open after closing for the Christmas holidays. The new students were arriving in the afternoon.

Our tour included watching a video telling about the  center and the activities that take place there for the students.  It was fun to see Courtney several times in the video.

This is the entrance to the Jerusalem center. Before walking down this path, we had to push a button to alert the security person inside and then identify ourselves in order to have him open a big gate so we could enter.

After the video we listened to a 10 minute organ recital played by a senior sister missionary. 

An amazing sound comes out of this organ. The organ has over 3,000 pipes and most of them  are hidden behind the ones that you can see. The organ was built in Denmark and was donated anonymously at a  cost of nearly $600,000.

The organ is located in a beautiful auditorium that has 250 seats. The large arched windows provide a spectacular view of the Holy City. Students and people that live in Jerusalem attend concerts every Thursday that are held in this auditorium. Local artists perform in these concerts that are free but very popular so you have to get your tickets early. Other gatherings are held here during the week.

This is the hallway in the main entry on the 8th floor .

Beautiful Orchids in the Bathroom

This an ancient mosaic on the wall of the center  on loan from the Israeli government.

In the center is this beautiful water fall that has a wonderful sound.

A Kumquat Tree
You can even eat the rind of this orange like fruit. Courtney said they are yummy.

Our tour guide  showing us a model of the Old City of Jerusalem during a certain period of time.

Photo of the center from the gardens

There are 5 acres of gardens around the center .

An Ancient Olive Press at the Center

Another Type of Olive Press

I had the experience of pushing this log like the students do to help make olive oil. Only the students that come in the fall get to make olive oil because this is when the olives are ripe.

A very old olive tree that was transplanted to the garden at the Center.