The tomb of King David is located in Jerusalem, which is a very unique city. Tradition is such that Jerusalem is where King Solomon built the great temple, Jesus was crucified, and Muhammad visited during his Night Journey. They typical tour of Jerusalem takes the tourist to the Mount of Olives, from which the tourist can view the stunning views of the city below. Then a guide leads you on a walk of the Old City to view the Western Wall, the remnants of the Second Temple, the Davidson Center, where exhibits, include a reconstruction of the Herodian Temple Mount. Then you are taken through the restored Cardo, the old Roman Road, the ancient Via Dolorosa with the Stations of the Cross, the Christian Quarter, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and then to Mount Zion to view King David's Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper. It is said that the tomb of King David is located in Jerusalem. Even though the Bible says that David was buried in the City of David (several hundred yards away from the location). Jews have been praying at this site located in Har Zion ever since the Middle Ages, during the 12th century. The actual building was built later on during the Crusader period. The Bible states that King David was buried in Ir David, or the City of David. (1 Kings 2:10) Samuel 2 (5:7, 5:9). According to the book of Joshua in the Bible, the ancient city was divided into two parts; the eastern part which was called "Metsudat Zion" and later then later on "Ir David". Then there was the higher part in the west which was controlled by the Jebusites. The higher part was called Har Hamoriah. So it appears that Zion and Ir David are the same place, i.e., the low valley (which is now called Silwan). If that is true, then the present tomb upon Mount Zion (being in the higher, western portion of the city) cannot be that of King David. King David's traditional tomb, or stone cenotaph, which was placed in the same building as the Cenacle, by the Crusaders, lies draped in velvet cloth before a niche blackened by pilgrim's candles. The cloth - covered cenotaph honors King David (who was actually buried in the nearby City of David: I Kings 2:10). It is thought that King David's tomb was mistakenly located here during the Byzantine period, when the Christians celebrated King David and James, the Hebrew and Christian founders of Jerusalem, on Mount Zion. The present day building was erected in 1335 by the Franciscans. However, the floor dates back to the second century, when it may have been known as the "little church of God" mentioned by Epiphanius of Salamis. Evidence suggests that this traditional tomb was placed in a synagogue built by Judeo-Christians, rather than by traditional Jews. Several fragments of plaster scattered on the earliest floor of the synagogue bear Christian graffiti, from the building's original walls. Although the readings are controversial, one graffiti has Greek initials for words that have been translated to mean, "conquer, savior, mercy-" Another, controversial, graffiti has letters that say, "O Jesus, that I may live, O Lord of the autocrat." Another piece of evidence is the orientation of the synagogue's niche to the Temple Mount. If the structure had been a traditional Jewish synagogue, its niche should have been oriented toward the Temple Mount, where the Temple had stood until its destruction in A.D. 70. Although the builders had a clear view of the Temple Mount, they oriented the synagogue niche slightly East of North, on a direct line to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is the traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial. History also identifies the synagogue as Judeo-Christian in origin. It seems to have been built in the late first century, after the Romans had destroyed Jerusalem. This is during a time period when traditional Jews were not building synagogues in Jerusalem. Not during the time of David! King David's Tomb in Jerusalem lies just outside the Dormition Abbey behind the Franciscan house on Sion. The whole area has been transformed by religious Jews into various Yeshivas (Schools of the Torah) especially due to the devotion for the Tomb of King David (pbuh) which is believed to be located beneath the Upper Room, called the Room of the Last Supper, or Coenaculum. You enter a door at the southwest corner of the building which leads to a hall that was the lower part of the 12th-century Crusader church. There are two square doorways on the east wall which lead into a second antechamber, which has a mihrab (c.1452) and three small windows on the east wall. A screen wall, pierced by three square-framed doors and windows, separates the second antechamber from the cenotaph of David. The openings are blocked with iron bars and the cenotaph room itself cannot be entered. The cenotaph of David (the tomb) is large and draped with a red cloth embroidered in Hebrew with the star of David on it. It is surmonted by twenty-two crowns of the Torah in solid silver; they represent the sovereigns who, after David (pbuh), succeeded each other on the throne of Israel.. It probably dates at about the 16th century. Behind the cenotaph is a niche dated at about the 4th century that could be part of an original synagogue or Byzantine church. Burn marks are on the wall, due to fire during the raid upon the church by the Persians in 614 A.D. or possibly by the Muslims in 965 A.D. . The wall has been blackened by centuries of smoke from candles. The cenotaph of King David, is with the Western Wall, one of the two places most visited and venerated by the people of the Jewish faith.
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| Jerusalem / Al-Quds Citadel Tower Of David | Jerusalem / Al-Quds Citadel Tower Of David |
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| King Davids Tomb Behind Left Door | "Upper Room", Or "Cenacle" Or "Coenaculum" Behind These Two Windows |
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| Sign Above Door Into King Davids Tomb | Cenotaph Of King David's Tomb |
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| Cenotaph Of King Davids Tomb | Cenotaph Of King Davids Tomb |
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| Cenotaph Of King Davids Tomb | Cenotaph Of King Davids Tomb |
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| Cenotaph Of King Davids Tomb | Cenotaph Of King Davids Tomb |
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| Upper Room, Coenaculum Or Cenacle | Upper Room, Coenaculum Or Cenacle |
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