Image Details

ALEFBET / ISTOCK

TOWERING TOMB. This funerary complex in the Kidron Valley consists of a cave and a memorial (nefesh). Traditionally called the Tomb (or Cave) of Jehoshaphat, the burial cave (visible at left, in background) was accessed through five steps leading to chambers with multiple niches for burials. The monument in front of it, known as the Tomb of Absalom, is carved from the cliff as a freestanding square monolith adorned with columns and topped by a distinctive conical roof. Some have suggested that the burial site belonged to the family of King Herod Agrippa I (41–44 CE).