Mount Zion, Religious hill in Jerusalem, Israel
Mount Zion is a hill near the southern wall of the Old City in Jerusalem, Israel. The rise carries several buildings including Dormition Abbey and the Tomb of David as well as a small cemetery on its top.
The early Israelite kings ruled from this rise before the Temple Mount became the religious center. Over the centuries, Christian and Muslim rulers alternated control of the site.
The name comes from Hebrew and today the hill is visited as a holy site by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Each faith community connects the hill with its own traditions and prays at different buildings along the paths.
Visitors coming through Zion Gate from the Armenian Quarter reach the hill without much climbing. The paths on top are narrow and often busy on religious holidays.
Between 1948 and 1967 this spot remained the only point from which Jewish visitors could see the former holy sites in divided Jerusalem. Many came here at that time to pray at least from a distance.
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