Ancient Monuments

Monument of King Alexander Jannaeus

The Monument of King Alexander Jannaeus (103-76 BC) was located near the Pool of the Sheepmarket. Josephus wrote of the monument of Alexander (Jannaeus) on the east of the city (5 Wars vii. 3)...

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Pool of Bethesda

The Pool of Bethesda was located on the eastern side of the city near the Fortress of Antonia. The name Bethesda means "house of mercy." The water source was a nearby spring. The Pool had five porches and according to the Bible there was a tradition that an angel moved the waters at certain times and healed the sick. It was here at the Pool of Beth...

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Tomb of David

Behind the Palace of Caiphus stood the Tomb of David which is a monument that marks the spot where David's tomb was located. The real spot for the tomb is on the southeast hill in David's city....

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Tomb of Absalom

The traditional site of Absalom's Tomb is located on the eastern slope of the Kidron Valley, on the east side of Jerusalem. Josephus wrote about this tomb, which existed in the first century A.D. (Antiquities vii. 10, § 3). It stands twenty feet high and twenty-four feet square....

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Phasael Tower

Herod the Great built the Phasael Tower and named it after his brother who died before he came to power. It was the largest of the three towers built to protect the western side of the city of Jerusalem and his grand palace. It stood 145 feet high. The most beautiful of the three was the Mariamne Tower named after his favorite wife..The Hippicus To...

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Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were considered one of the wonders of the ancient world. The Greek historian Herodotus described Babylon in great detail. King Nebuchadnezzar built them in 580 BC apparently for his wife Amytis, daughter of the Median King Astyages, who was homesick for the mountains and vegetation of her native land....

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