Kidron monuments, Monumental cenotaphs in Kidron Valley, Jerusalem, Israel.

The Kidron monuments are four burial structures on the western slope of the Mount of Olives, facing the Old City and the Temple Mount: the Tomb of Benei Hezir, the Tomb of Zechariah, the Tomb of Absalom, and the Cave of Jehoshaphat. The Tomb of Pharaoh's Daughter, from the First Temple period, is sometimes counted with them. The monuments combine rock-cut chambers with built upper sections, Ionic columns, Doric architraves, and Egyptian cornices.

Most of the monuments belong to the Second Temple period, when Jerusalem's Jews cut family tombs outside the city walls; the necropolis on the western slope of the Mount of Olives, facing the Temple Mount, holds several of the finest. The Benei Hezir tomb is the earliest of the group, hewn for the 17th of the 24 priestly courses. The Pharaoh's Daughter tomb, built in the First Temple period, stands apart and influenced the later architects.

The Kidron Valley served as a burial ground for centuries, with rock-cut tombs that Byzantine monks adapted between the 4th and 7th centuries. The way these structures are integrated into the landscape reveals how important this location was as a sacred burial place for multiple generations.

The monuments are visible from a paved path through Kidron Valley that connects the Temple Mount with the Mount of Olives. The walkway is easy to access, but the terrain is hilly and the sun can be intense, so bring proper footwear and water.

Zechariah's monument is not a tomb at all: it is a solid, sealed block with no chamber for a body, a nefesh or memorial marker. Its lower part is cut from the rock, while the upper cube, cornice and pyramid were built of stone. Excavations in 1960 removed the earth around it and disproved the idea that a burial cave lay hidden beneath.