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.
View of the Dead Sea from the Mount of Olives (photo source)
7 thoughts on “Q&A: Viewing the Dead Sea from the Mount of Olives”
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.
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
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.
Hello! Does anyone know if the Dead Sea can still be seen from the Mount of Olives nowadays? Thank you!
On a clear day, yes.
Thank you very much, Todd!
Stumbled on this site while fact checking on this info as I read a mini commentary on Mark 11:23.
Just got back from Israel four months back and was on the mount of Olives. If I knew this fact before then, I’d have checked it out. I’ll make a note, next time I go visiting.
Thanks