Mount Scopus

Mount Scopus (הַר הַצּוֹפִים Har HaTsofim, "Mount of the Watchmen/Sentinels"; Arabic: جبل المشارف‎ Ǧabal al-Mašārif, lit. "Mount Lookout", or جبل المشهد Ǧabal al-Mašhad "Mount of the Scene/Burial Site", or جبل الصوانة "Mount al-Swana") is a mountain (elevation: 2710 feet or 826 meters above sea level) in northeast Jerusalem.

In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Mount Scopus became a UN-protected Israeli exclave within Jordanian-administered territory until the Six-Day War in 1967. Today, Mount Scopus lies within the municipal boundaries of the city of Jerusalem.

Name

The ridge of hills east of ancient as well as modern Jerusalem offers the best views of the city, which it dominates. Since the main part of the ridge bears the name Mount of Olives, the name "lookout" was reserved for this peak to the northeast of the ancient city. Its name in many languages (Hebrew, Arabic, Greek and Latin) means "lookout." Scopus is a Latinisation of the Greek word for "watcher", skopos, the same as in "telescope" (tele- meaning far and skopos - watcher). Adding to the multi-layered meaning of the name, it is also said that in times in which Jews were not allowed to enter Jerusalem by the city's Roman or Christian authorities, they used to come and look at their former capital from this vantage point.