The Talpiot Tombs: Remarkable Turn of the Century Photos
by James Tabor
The area today called East Talpiot, where the Talpiot “Jesus” tombs are located, is just to the south of Jerusalem. Today the entire area is so built up it is difficult to imagine what things might have looked like in ancient times. The old British map from Mandate times shows the lay of the land and these remarkable photos show how things looked before the building that began after the Six Day War. On the map I have extended the southern walls of the city as they would have been in the time of Jesus and the two Talpiot tombs are indicated by the red marks to the south. The ridge of Talpiot is right on a major ancient road going out into the Judean desert, the one that intersects with Mar Saba and then out to the Dead Sea.
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- Looking East from Talpiot to the Judean Desert
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- Jerusalem from the East, Talpiot Ridge to the South
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- Looking South toward Talpiot Ridge
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- Looking East toward Talpiot
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- Looking South, Talpiot Hills in Distance
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- Looking North to Jerusalem from Talpiot Ridge
