The use of rock-cut cave tombs in the region of ancient Israel began in the early Canaanite period, from 3100–2900 BCE. The custom lapsed a millennium, however, before re-emerging in the earliest Isra
The Tomb of Benei Hezir and the so-called Tomb of Zechariah, Kidron Valley, Jerusalem
Detail of the Tomb of Benei Hezir
Remnants of the Monolith of Silwan, a First Temple period tomb.
The so-called Garden Tomb (9th–7th century BCE)
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
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The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection, is a fourth-century church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The church is simultaneously the seat
Rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel
…near the Damascus Gate being long considered as the actual funerary tower of Herod's family, which again was contradicted by the finds at Herodium. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre contains remains of at least seven 2nd Temple-period tombs, including the one considered by Christian tradition to be that of Jesus, and a relatively…
The church in 2010, from left to right: the bell tower (12th century), rotunda (big dome), catholicon (smaller dome), and ambulatory
Crusader graffiti in the church: crosses engraved in the staircase leading down to the Chapel of Saint Helena
Eastern Orthodox icon (c. 1600) commemorating a church renovation
Floorplan in 1857