Mount of Olives and its churches - Jerusalem Nov 1972

From at least the 4th century CE, Christian churches and shrines have been built there; a number of denominations are now represented. A joint mosque and Christian chapel exists over the spot where many Christians and Muslims believe Jesus ascended. According to ancient Jewish tradition, the messianic era will commence on the Mount of Olives, and for this reason its slopes have been the most sacred burial ground in Judaism for centuries.

In Byzantine times the mount became a place of church-building. By the 6th century it had 24 churches, surrounded by monasteries containing large numbers of monks and nuns.