The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the tradition site that people have historically believed Jesus to have been crucified and buried, but in the last 200 years some schools of historians have come to dispute this claim, made since the 4th century. During the British Mandade, General Charles Gordon began excavations on a different site, just outside today's Old City walls, near Damascus Gate. The hill is said to resemble a skull, and the location is a possibility based on the same kinds of historical and archaeological evidence that label the CotHS as the correct site. Extensive excavations revealed an empty tomb, along with a pre-Christian water cistern and a wine press. The site is now controlled by a an English group known as the Garden Tomb Association.
It should be noted that the claims that this is the actual site of Jesus's crucifixion and burial are all made by Protestant scholars, and the society that built the tourist area is a Protestant group. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is, visually and atmospherically, a Catholic/Orthodox/Armenian Church, not suited to Protestant sensibilities. The areas for worship at the Garden Tomb are more along the lines of Protestant churchs, in decoration and layout.
The entrance on the street
The inner entrance
Damn straight we well.
The area is called a garden for a reason.
Very beautiful.
It's a little blurry; I aplogize.
The cistern, which dates to the Roman period
A column found in excavations I'm assuming.
An ancient wine press
Pilgrims recieve the Eucharist
The Disputed "Golgatha" - The Site of Jesus' Crucifixion
A picture to tell you what you're supposed to be looking for. You're looking for the "skull" in the wall.
What certain Protestants believe is golgatha, site of the crucifixion. Above is a modern Arab graveyard.
The face in the wall.
Everyone needs more Golgatha!
A sign explaining the site, according to the Gospel of John
See the skull face in the wall? That's what attracted historians to this site
The Disputed Tomb of Jesus
The entrance to the tomb (there's a woman standing in the door), which was excavated in 1924.
A plan of the tomb
An explanation, from the Gospel of John
Believed to be the grave of Jesus
To the left...
To the right...
A cross above the grave - a modern decoration
As you leave the tomb, this is on the door.