City of David National Park
Encyclopedia
City of David National Park (גן לאומי סובב חומות ירושלים) is an Israeli
national park
located near the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The national park was designed originally to surround the old city from all sides, to separate between the old city and the new constructions surrounding it while at the same time connecting between them, while preventing construction near the walls.
The National park connects to the site of the City of David on the southern part and the Emek Tzurim National Park
on the Northern-eastern part.
The area of the national park includes the gates to the old city of Jerusalem.
period until the Ottoman period.
The eastern side of the garden includes a Muslim cemetery.
East and south of the Old City is Gehenna
.
The Kidron Valley
which is also located on the grounds of the National Park consists of a number of burial constructions, including Tomb of Absalom and Tomb of Zechariah
.
Under the northern wall, between the Damascus Gate and Herod's Gate, is a site called Zedekiah's Cave
. Researchers believe that this was a quarry from Herod's period.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
located near the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The national park was designed originally to surround the old city from all sides, to separate between the old city and the new constructions surrounding it while at the same time connecting between them, while preventing construction near the walls.
The National park connects to the site of the City of David on the southern part and the Emek Tzurim National Park
Emek Tzurim National Park
Emek Tzurim National Park is a national park of Israel. It is located on lower slope of the Mount of Olives and the upper reaches of the Kidron Valley, to the north-east outside of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The grounds contain the Temple Mount Antiquities Salvage Operation, and cover...
on the Northern-eastern part.
The area of the national park includes the gates to the old city of Jerusalem.
Sites located in the National Park
- The promenadeEsplanadeAn esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
of the old city of Jerusalem. - The Tower of DavidTower of DavidThe Tower of David is an ancient citadel located near the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem.Built to strengthen a strategically weak point in the Old City's defenses, the citadel that stands today was constructed during the 2nd century BC and subsequently destroyed and rebuilt by,...
- consists today of a museum for the History of Jerusalem and an antiquities site. - Mount ZionMount ZionMount Zion is a place name for a site in Jerusalem, the location of which has shifted several times in history. According to the Hebrew Bible's Book of Samuel, it was the site of the Jebusite fortress called the "stronghold of Zion" that was conquered by King David, becoming his palace in the City...
- the site includes David's TombDavid's TombKing David's Tomb is the name given to a Jewish religious site on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, near the Hagia Maria Sion Abbey; the site has traditionally been viewed as the burial place of King David, the second king of Israel...
, the Holocaust chamber and several holy sites for Christians, among them the Hagia Maria Sion AbbeyHagia Maria Sion AbbeyHagia Maria Sion Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Jerusalem on Mt. Zion just outside the walls of the Old City near the Zion Gate.It was formerly known as the Abbey of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, but the name was changed in 1998 in reference to the church of Hagia Sion that formerly stood on...
, the Cathedral of St. JamesCathedral of St. James, JerusalemThe Cathedral of St. James is a 12th century Armenian church in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem, near the quarter's entry gate. The cathedral is dedicated to Christian Saints: James the Greater and James the Less .- External links :...
and more. - Cemeteries - Jewish, Christian Orthodox and Protestant (Mount Zion Cemetery).
Archaeology
The national park consists important sites of archaeological excavations as well as the Ophel Archaeological Garden, which includes archaeological finds from the Solomon's TempleSolomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was the main temple in ancient Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount , before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE....
period until the Ottoman period.
The eastern side of the garden includes a Muslim cemetery.
East and south of the Old City is Gehenna
Gehenna
Gehenna , Gehinnom and Yiddish Gehinnam, are terms derived from a place outside ancient Jerusalem known in the Hebrew Bible as the Valley of the Son of Hinnom ; one of the two principal valleys surrounding the Old City.In the Hebrew Bible, the site was initially where apostate Israelites and...
.
The Kidron Valley
Kidron Valley
The Kidron Valley is the valley on the eastern side of The Old City of Jerusalem which features significantly in the Bible...
which is also located on the grounds of the National Park consists of a number of burial constructions, including Tomb of Absalom and Tomb of Zechariah
Tomb of Zechariah
The Tomb of Zechariah is an ancient stone monument adjacent to the Bnei Hazir tomb.-Architectural description:The monument is a monolith -- it is completely carved out of the solid rock and does not contain a burial chamber. The lowest part of the monument is a crepidoma, a base made of three steps...
.
Under the northern wall, between the Damascus Gate and Herod's Gate, is a site called Zedekiah's Cave
Zedekiah's Cave
Zedekiah's Cave – also known as Solomon's Quarries – is a underground meleke limestone quarry that runs the length of five city blocks under the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem...
. Researchers believe that this was a quarry from Herod's period.
External links
- City of David (Jerusalem Walls) National Park at the Israeli Parks Authority site.