Religious, Spiritual sights in Jerusalem
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Shrine of the Book
Shrine of the Book is where the Dead Sea Scrolls are kept. The distinctive pot lid-shaped roof is meant to symbolise the pots in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were kept. The scrolls, totalling 800 in all, were found in 1947 and date back to the time of the Bar Kochba Revolt (AD 132-35). They deal with both secular and religious issues and were thought to have been written by an ascetic group of Jews called the Essenes, who inhabited the area for about 300 years.
The most important of the Dead Sea Scrolls is the Great Isaiah Scroll, the largest and best preserved. It is the only biblical scroll that has survived in its entirety, and takes centre place in the room. The 54 colu…
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Tomb of King David
A Crusader structure erected two millennia after his death, the Tomb of King David provides little spectacle. What's more, the authenticity of the site is highly disputable - the likelihood is that David is buried under the hill of the original Mt Zion, east of the City of David. However, this is one of the most revered of the Jewish holy places, and from 1948 to 1967, when the Western Wall was off-limits to Jews in Jordanian-held territory, the tomb was the stand-in main centre of pilgrimage.
It still serves as a prayer hall. The somber room is divided into sides for men and women, both leading to the stone cenotaph draped in velvet. Behind is a small alcove that researc…
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Tombs of the Prophets
Slightly to the north of the Church of the Pater Noster and below the viewing promenade (near the Seven Arches Hotel) are the Tombs of the Prophets, a set of ancient tombs in which are buried the three prophets Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi, who lived in the 5th century BC.
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Tomb of the Virgin Mary
One of the holiest sites in Christianity, the Tomb of the Virgin Mary is a dim and somewhat forlorn place, hung with ancient brass lamps and infused with a millennium of must.
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