Down from the Seven Arches Hotel, a gate on the left leads to two tunnels, traditionally identified as the Tombs of the Prophets Malakhi, Haggai, and Zekhariah. Archeological evidence, however, suggests that the graves are far too recent-probably dating from the 4th century AD. (Open daily 8am-3pm.) The orange sign with black Hebrew lettering marks the Common Grave of those who died defending the Jewish Quarter in 1948. Next to the Common Grave lies the National Cemetery, and farther down the path sprawls the immense Jewish Graveyard, the largest Jewish cemetery in the world.

Farther down the path and to the right, the Sanctuary of Dominus Flevit ("the Lord wept") was erected in 1955 to mark the spot where Jesus wept for Jerusalem. During the construction, supervised by the renowned Italian architect Antonio Bar-luzzi, several unrelated ruins were unearthed. (Open daily 8am-noon and 2:30-5pm; April-Oct- 8am-noon and 2:30-6pm.) Continuing down the road, on the right stands the Russian Church of Mary Magdalene. Its seven golden cupolas not only resemble the Kremlin, but also mark the Mount of Olives in the same way that the Dome of the Rock distinguishes the Temple Mount. Czar Alexander III built the church in 1885 in the lavish 17th-century Muscovite style and dedicated it to his mother, the Empress Maria Alexandrovna. The crypt houses the body of a Russian grand duchess, smuggled to Jerusalem via Beijing after her death in the Russian Revolution. Now a convent, the church basks in the aura of the sacred shrines that surround it, and even claims a part of the Garden of Gethsemane. (Ordinarily open Tues. and Thurs. 1011:30am. Call 28 28 97 to be sure. Free.)