Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem

Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem (must see)

A place of great resonance in Christianity, this beautiful walled garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives, revered since the apostolic period, is the site where 鈥� according to the four Gospels of the New Testament 鈥� Jesus experienced the agonizing premonition of his passion and death, and where he was arrested the night before his crucifixion. The name "Gethsemane" is derived from Aramaic and means "oil press," likely indicating that the area was once used for pressing olive oil.

Beyond the religious significance, the garden is essentially an urban olive orchard, with eight distinctive ancient trees among others. Carbon dating estimates the eight trees to be over 900 years old (as such, amongst the oldest known to science), having descended from the same parent tree 鈥� possibly itself a descendant from the original trees of Christ's time. They still produce fruit but are fenced off so unless you gracefully tip the gatekeeper, you can't go walking among them.

Also be sure to visit the adjacent Church of All Nations on the grounds, also known as the Basilica of the Agony, which holds a section of bedrock believed to be where Jesus prayed before his arrest 鈥� but make very sure your knees, shoulders and upper arms are properly covered, preferably with clothing and not just a shawl, or you will be refused entry. Women should avoid wearing shorts of any length.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Jerusalem. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Garden of Gethsemane
Sight Location: Jerusalem, Israel (See walking tours in Jerusalem)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Jerusalem, Israel

Create Your Own Walk in Jerusalem

Creating your own self-guided walk in Jerusalem is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.7 Km or 2.3 Miles

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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.7 Km or 2.3 Miles

Mount Scopus Walking Tour

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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles

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