Jerusalem, around the Wall

Kidron Valley(part of Valley of Jehoshapat)- just southeast of the city. The town of Silwan, an area that is known to harbor terrorists AND weapons, is visible on the left.

Here's a few pictures of what's around the Old City. Its kinda crazy- its been described as a crown surrounded by another crown. You see, the Old City is raised on a mound, and there are structures that form the "points" of the small crown. Then, there are the five or six mounts surrounding the city(mounts as in mountains, but really they're just hills) including: Mount Zion, Mount of Olives, Mount Everest, (no, not the one in the Himilayas), and Mount Scopus and a few others I can't remember the names of. At any rate, these mounts form the "points" of the larger "crown" that surrounds the Old City. Alrighty then.

Here's some of the stuff to see around the "Small Crown".

The Church of All Nations(or the Church of Agony) by the Garden of Gethsemane on the northwest foot of the Mount of Olives. The crazy bright gold crosses in the back ground are topping the onion shaped domes of the Church of Mary Magdelane. When the sun catches them just right the glow like they're on fire.
Here's the Garden(at right, which is to the left of the Church of Gethsemane). This is the place where Jesus is said to have come with His disciples and prayed alone the night before His crucifiction. This is also the place where he was turned over to the Romans by Judas Iscariot. And that is one "mother" of an olive tree on the right.

This is a few of the tombs by the Valley of Jehoshapat(see photo at top of page). I think they're(starting at the left) the Bnel Hezir Tombs and Zechariah's Tomb(at the right). Pretty wild, though. It seems that nobody comes down to see these things anymore.

The Franciscan Monastery by David's Tomb(on top of Mount Zion). I got up there a little later that day so the light was no good but the architecture is awesome.

I love this city!! Here's a picture from on top of the Tower of David(which is really the Tower of Phasael) inside the Citadel. You can see the gold Dome of the Rock to the right, the Russian Tower above and to the right of the Dome, and the steeple of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the left center.