Mount of Olives approach from the west

The Mt. of Olives is the backdrop for many important scenes in the Bible. David fled from Absalom over this hill. Solomon built a temple to a pagan god for one of his many wives on this ridge. Jesus came from Bethany and rode down the Mt. of Olives on a donkey as he entered Jerusalem on the last week of his life. The Garden of Gethsemane is at the base of the hill. Even so, it's sometimes difficult for people to see. The "mount" is a long ridge at the very top of the Judean Mountains. Bethany is over the ridge, on the eastern slopes of the hill. From its peak, one can see the Dead Sea 15 miles to the east, or all of Jerusalem to the west.