Bethany (Al-Eizariya)

Bethany (Al-Eizariya) is a Palestinian town in the West Bank on the south-eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, less than 3.2 kilometres from Jerusalem's Old City. Its Arabic name derives directly from Lazarus, whose raising from the dead (Gospel of John, chapter 11) is commemorated here. The Tomb of Lazarus has been identified as the miracle's setting since at least the 4th century CE; Jerome mentions a dedicated church — the Lazarium — at Bethany as early as 390 CE. Queen Melisende of Jerusalem founded a Benedictine abbey on the site in 1138, recognising its pilgrimage importance.

Pilgrims descend 24 worn stone steps from street level to a vestibule chamber, then three further steps into the small burial chamber, barely two metres in length. The Franciscan Church of Saint Lazarus, built 1952–1955, stands above layers of Byzantine and Crusader masonry. A 16th-century Ottoman mosque occupies the original entrance to the tomb precinct; a Greek Orthodox church, built in 1965, stands directly west. Three faith communities — Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim — maintain active structures within metres of one another, a rare concentration of shared sacred geography.

Al-Eizariya is approximately 10 minutes east of Jerusalem's Old City, a natural stop on any Mount of Olives itinerary. It combines efficiently with onward travel to Jericho (25 km east) or back through Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Modest dress is expected throughout the town.