Pilgrims can enjoy :
- To the North, the ramparts of the Old City and the Temple Mount (now called the Mosque Esplanade)
- To the East, the Mount of Olives
- To the South, the Kidron Valley towards the Dead Sea
- To the West, the Gehenna Valley
In clear weather, the Jordan Mountains can be seen in the distance.
The Mosque Esplanade
The Temple Mount and the Mosque Esplanade are located to the North. One side of the ramparts hides the garden and the basilica of Gethsemane, but the golden domes of the Sainte Marie-Madeleine Russian church are clearly visible.
The Mount of Olives
Half way up the Mount of Olives, partially covered by Jewish cemeteries, visitors can see the church of the Dominus flevit (where Jesus cried over Jerusalem). At the top, from left to right, the minaret of the mosque built over the Ascension place and the steeples of the Pater Carmel and the Russian church can be observed.
Mount of Scandal
The Mount of Scandal (named so because Salomon allowed his foreign wives to honor their gods there) is situated in the continuity of the Mount of Olives, with on its slopes the Silwan village.
The Kidron valley towards the Dead Sea
The three valleys of the Kidron, the Tyropeon and the Gehenna have become one in direction of the Dead Sea : the brook Kidron. In the distance, visitors can see several Arabic villages near the Judaean desert.
The Hill of Bad Counsel
The Hill of Bad Counsel (named so after the tradition that it was the place of a Caiaphas’ residence where was decided the death of Jesus) and the Gehenna Valley, with the Saint Onulphre monastery, are visible in the Southwest. The Gehenna Valley was a dump site ; the continuous fire used to destroy wastes looked like Hell.
Saint Onulphre monastery
The Greek Orthodox monastery of Saint-Onulphre is located on the Potter’s field. Priests decided to buy this land with Judas Iscariot’s 30 silver coins, in order to burry foreigners.
City of David
The view of the City of David doesn’t reveal the two deep valleys that used to protect it : to the East, the Kidron valley and to the West, from Damascus gate to Siloam, the Tyropeon valley (cheesemaker valley). These two valleys used to come together up to the Siloam pool, where ended up the third valley : the Gehenna valley.
