Jerusalem-Geography

Jerusalem's Geography Jerusalem is a city of mountains and valleys which greatly contributed to its history. There are four mountains that lie in a straight line, going from east to west. Starting in the east, they are the Mount of Olives, the Temple Mount also known as Mount Moriah, Mount Zion, also called the Upper Hill.
Israel is a small country in the middle east. The central plateau, called the West Bank, is the ancient Israel heartland containing Jerusalem. To the north are the Lebanese mountains.

Israel has been in a political and sometimes military battle with its neighbors over its territory and very existence. The Gaza Strip on the Mediterranean coast was once part of Egypt. The West Band and East Jerusalem were part of Jordan. The Golan Heights is still in dispute with Syria.
To the south of the West Bank is the Negev desert. The Negev desert represents about 60% of Israel's territory.

Jerusalem is situated on the southern spur of a plateau in the Judean Mountains, which include the Mount of Olives (East) and Mount Scopus (North East). The altitude of the Old City is approximately 760 metres (2,500 ft).The whole of Jerusalem is surrounded by valleys and dry riverbeds, although those to the north are less pronounced than those on the other sides.

Three of the most prominent valleys in the region, the Kidron, Hinnom, and Tyropoeon Valleys, intersect in an area just south of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Kidron Valley runs just to the east of the Old City and separates the Mount of Olives from the city proper. Along the southern side of old Jerusalem is the Valley of Hinnom, a steep ravine associated in Biblical eschatology with the concept of Gehenna or hell. A third valley commenced in the northwest near the present-day location of Damascus Gate, ran south-southeasterly through the center of the Old City down to the Pool of Siloam, and divided the lower part into two hills, the Temple Mount to the east, and the rest of the city to the west (the lower and the upper cities described by Josephus. Today, this valley, the Tyropoeon Valley, is mostly hidden from view due to the amount of debris that has accumulated within the ravine over the past few millennia.
Jerusalem is 60 kilometers (37 mi) east of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea. On the opposite side of the city, approximately 35 kilometers (22 mi)away, is the Dead Sea, the lowest body of water on Earth. Neighboring cities and towns include Bethlehem and Beit Jala to the south, Abu Dis and Ma'ale Adummim to the east, Maoz Zion, Motza and Mevaseret Zion to the west, and Ramallah and Giv'at Ze'ev to the north.