Panorama of Jerusalem
We now move further northward on the Mount of Olives and again look across the Valley of Kedron upon the Holy City. At our feet are the swelling domes and towers and crosses of the new Russian church on the Mount of Olives. We see more tombs stretching along the eastern wall of the city to the extreme left. We gaze upon the Mosque of Omar, which stands within this [enclosure] of thirty-five acres. Here once stood the Jewish Temple. Far to the west, and little to the right of the dome of the Mosque of Omar, is the English church, and near it is the hospital for poor Jews. A little to the right is the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is said by tradition to mark the place of the crucifixion and resurrection. The other large buildings, still further to the right, are hospitals, monasteries and other sacred quarters occupied by religious orders. Immediately before us, at the center of the picture, is a two-arched gateway, now closed up. This is the celebrated Golden Gate, concerning which there are many traditions and prophecies. A little to the right, within the Golden Gate and across the grassy temple area, are several arches. This is the residence of the Pacha of Jerusalem, and to the right of his residence, at the extreme north end of the temple [enclosure], is the Pool of Bethesda. We shall later on see more in detail the various places of interest within the city.
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