Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Q&A: Viewing the Dead Sea from the Mount of Olives

Question: I read in a commentary the claim that the Dead Sea is visible from the top of the Mount of Olives. When I was there we didn’t go all the way to the top. Is this true? –K.P.

Answer: On most days you would not be able to answer this question because the air is so hazy. On a rare clear day, you would have this view just up the slope from Bethphage, with a sliver of the Dead Sea visible below the horizon.

Bethphage from Mount of Olives showing wilderness, mat02531

View of the Dead Sea from the Mount of Olives (photo source)

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posted by Todd Bolen at 7:00 AM

3 Comments:

  • If that photo's about a century old, I'm curious if all I've heard about the shrinking sea level hides its view today.

    By Blogger G.M. Grena, at Tue Jan 10, 09:34:00 PM  

  • puladThere certainly used to be a clear view of the Dead Sea - on a good day - from the top of the tower on Mt Scopus which I helped build in the 70s. Haven't been to the top since so don't know the effect of falling sea levels.

    David Stacey

    By Blogger David Stacey, at Wed Jan 11, 03:44:00 AM  

  • I'm a bit late on this, but just read in the memoir of Levi Parsons (an American missionary to the Holy Land) in his Feb 22, 1821 journal entry: after a 15-20 minute ascent of the Mount of Olives he had a nice view of the Dead Sea.

    By Blogger Craig Dunning, at Mon Jan 30, 09:53:00 PM  

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