Mount Zion

Mount Zion is a hill in Jerusalem located just outside the walls of the Old City, historically serving as a site of immense spiritual and political significance. While in the biblical era the name originally referred to the City of David and later the Temple Mount, by the Byzantine period, the name shifted to describe this western hill. It has been a silent witness to the rise and fall of empires, from the Jebusites and Israelites to the Romans, Crusaders, and Ottomans, each leaving behind layers of architectural and cultural heritage that define the landscape today. For centuries, Mount Zion has been a focal point for the three major Abrahamic religions. It is home to the Cenacle, traditionally revered by Christians as the site of the Last Supper, and the Tomb of David, a site of deep veneration for the Jewish people. The Dormition Abbey, with its striking conical dome, marks the spot where Catholic tradition holds that the Virgin Mary fell into eternal sleep. This concentration of holy sites makes the mount a unique microcosm of Jerusalem's complex religious tapestry. In modern history, Mount Zion played a strategic role during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Between 1948 and 1967, while the Old City was under Jordanian control, Mount Zion remained an Israeli enclave and was the closest point from which Jews could glimpse the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. Today, it remains a place of pilgrimage and reflection, accessible through the Zion Gate, and continues to be a site of active archaeological excavation and interfaith dialogue.