<P> The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( Hebrew : הַר הַזֵּיתִים ‬ , Har ha - Zeitim ; Arabic : جبل الزيتون , الطور ‎ , Jabal al - Zaytun , Al - Tur ) is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jerusalem 's Old City . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes . The southern part of the Mount was the Silwan necropolis , attributed to the ancient Judean kingdom . The Mount has been used as a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years and holds approximately 150,000 graves , making it central in the tradition of Jewish cemeteries . Several key events in the life of Jesus , as related in the Gospels , took place on the Mount of Olives , and in the Acts of the Apostles it is described as the place from which Jesus ascended to heaven . Because of its association with both Jesus and Mary , the Mount has been a site of Christian worship since ancient times and is today a major site of pilgrimage for Catholics , the Eastern Orthodox , and Protestants . </P>
where is the mount of olives in jerusalem
east of and adjacent to Jerusalem 's Old City