The Tomb of Zechariah, with its monumental pillared façade and triangular roof, is considered sacred for two reasons: it is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where the Messiah’s feet will trod (Zech. 14:4) and it is believed to be the burial place of the righteous priest Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, who was stoned to death as he chastised the people in the courts of the First Temple (2 Chron. 24:20-24).
Zechariah’s Tomb in its present form dates from the second or the first century BCE, as revealed by its Greek-style Ionic capitals and other elements.
Beginning in the early Middle Ages Jews frequently mentioned the tomb in their diaries and even illustrated it, showing its great meaning as a symbol of the Holy City.
The tomb can be reached along a path that descends from the outer south-eastern corner of the Temple Mount. It can also be viewed, together with the other monumental tombs of the Kidron Valley and the Mount of Olives, from an observation plaza across the street from the Temple Mount’s south-eastern corner.