DC -- Natl Geographic Society -- Exhibit: Tomb of Christ: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre Experience:
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Description of Pictures: Tomb of Christ: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre Experience
November 15, 2017 - January 06, 2019
Be virtually transported to Jerusalem and discover the fascinating history of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in an immersive 3-D experience unlike anything you’ve seen in a museum before. Your groups will be able to virtually visit the church and learn about its storied history and enduring mysteries.
Built in the fourth century, the tomb of Christ, or the Holy Edicule, has just undergone a historic restoration—a project that captured the attention of the world and will be featured this fall in National Geographic magazine and on the National Geographic channel. In the exhibition, learn about the restoration effort led by an interdisciplinary team of conservation experts from the National Technical University in Athens led by Chief Scientific Supervisor, ANTONIA MOROPOULOU, who used new technologies including LIDAR, sonar, laser scanning, and thermal imaging to preserve this important site.
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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.
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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
NGSTOC_180626_041.JPG: Twin Histories
Revealed
NGSTOC_180626_045.JPG: The History of Jerusalem
and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
NGSTOC_180626_049.JPG: circa AD 30
According to the Gospels, Jesus of Nazareth if crucified, buried, and resurrected outside Jerusalem's city walls.
41-44
Herod Agrippa extends Jerusalem's city walls beyond the site of Jesus' burial.
NGSTOC_180626_054.JPG: 70
The Romans destroy the city of Jerusalem
129
Roman Emperor Hadrian founds the colony of Aelia Capitolina on the ruins of Jerusalem.
NGSTOC_180626_058.JPG: 135
Hadrian builds a pagan temple on the probable site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial.
325-326
Roman Emperor Constantine sends his mother, Helena, and the bishop of Jerusalem, Macarius, to look for the tomb of Christ. Finding the purported spot under Hadrian's temple, Constantine orders a magnificent church to be built in its place.
614
A Persian army sacks Jerusalem and loots the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
NGSTOC_180626_063.JPG: 661
Islam becomes the dominant religion in the region of Palestine.
1009
Without warning, Caliph al-Hakin, the Fatimid ruler of Egypt and Palestine, orders the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
1037-1041
Byzantine Emperor Michael IV assists in partially rebuilding the church.
NGSTOC_180626_066.JPG: 1099
European Crusaders conquer Jerusalem during the First Crusade and begin work reconstructing the church.
1149
The Crusaders' Church of the Holy Sepulchre is consecrated.
NGSTOC_180626_070.JPG: 1187
Jerusalem surrenders to Saladin, but the Church remains unharmed.
1244:
The Khwarezmids, a group originating from modern day Uzbekistan, capture and pillage Jerusalem.
NGSTOC_180626_073.JPG: 1517
The Ottoman Turks seize control of Jerusalem, but the Church still stays untouched.
1555
After falling into a state of disrepair from years of use, the Edicule is restored by the Franciscan order.
NGSTOC_180626_076.JPG: 1808
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is badly damaged by a fire.
1810
Greek architect Nikolaos Komnenos completes the restoration of the church.
NGSTOC_180626_079.JPG: 1852
The Sultan of Turkey issues and edict declaring a division of ownership and responsibilities of holy places in the city among the major religions. The Status Quo stands to this day.
1917
The Mayor of Jerusalem surrenders the city to British and Australian forces.
NGSTOC_180626_083.JPG: 1927-1947
The British Mandate government of Palestine repairs the church and reinforces the Edicule with iron bars.
1927
An earthquake damages the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, particularly the dome and the Edicule.
1948
The State of Israel is established on May 14, 1948.
1959
Church leaders agree in principle to renovate the Edicule.
NGSTOC_180626_087.JPG: 1948
The State of Israel is established on May 14, 1948.
1959
Church leaders agree in principle to renovate the Edicule.
2015
Church leaders in Jerusalem receive an innovative proposal to restore the Edicule from the National Technical University of Athens.
NGSTOC_180626_090.JPG: 2016-2017
Renovations are carried out from May 2016 to February 2017, returning the shrine to its appearance from 1810.
NGSTOC_180626_093.JPG: Why Restore Now?
NGSTOC_180626_097.JPG: A Shrine in Peril
NGSTOC_180626_101.JPG: Quirks of History
The Immovable Ladder
NGSTOC_180626_105.JPG: Quirks of History
A Disputed Step
NGSTOC_180626_109.JPG: A Plan to Preserve
NGSTOC_180626_115.JPG: Quirks of History
Finding the True Cross
NGSTOC_180626_119.JPG: The Life and Times of
Jesus of Nazareth
NGSTOC_180626_122.JPG: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
In the Past
NGSTOC_180626_125.JPG: The Edicule
Today
The current Edicule, the shrine to the tomb of Christ, was constructed in 1810 and refurbished in 2016-2017.
NGSTOC_180626_130.JPG: Through the Years
NGSTOC_180626_139.JPG: The Tomb of Christ
circa AD 30
According to the Gospels, Jesus was crucified on a hill called Golgotha and buried in a nearby tomb.
NGSTOC_180626_148.JPG: In the Time of Christ
circa AD 30
Archaeologists have found evidence of an abandoned quarry used as a Jewish cemetery beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
NGSTOC_180626_153.JPG: Hadrian's Temple
Circa AD 135
Roman Emperor Hadrian filled in the quarry, paved over it, and built a pagan temple of top of the tomb, possibly as a way to suppress early Christianity.
NGSTOC_180626_154.JPG: Constantine's Church
Circa AD 325-335
Constantine razed Hadrian's temple, revealing the intact tomb beneath. He built the first Church of the Holy Sepulchre around it.
NGSTOC_180626_158.JPG: The Crusader Church
circa 11th-12th Centuries
Byzantine Christians and European Crusaders rebuilt the church after it was destroyed by a fanatic ruler in 1009. It stood until the 19th century.
NGSTOC_180626_161.JPG: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Today
While most of the current church dates to 1149, the wooden dome of the rotunda and the Edicule were replaced in 1810 following a massive fire.
NGSTOC_180626_164.JPG: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Today
NGSTOC_180626_182.JPG: A Contemporary Place of Worship
NGSTOC_180626_188.JPG: Phase One: Study
LIDAR
Purpose: 3-D modeling
Technology: Lasers
NGSTOC_180626_195.JPG: Touching History
NGSTOC_180626_204.JPG: LIDAR in Action
NGSTOC_180626_211.JPG: Phase One: Study
GPR
Purpose: Noninvasive Imaging
Technology: Radar
NGSTOC_180626_217.JPG: Understanding Radargrams
NGSTOC_180626_220.JPG: GPR in Action
NGSTOC_180626_227.JPG: Quirks of History
Living on the Roof
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2018 photos: Equipment this year: I continued to use my Fuji XS-1 cameras but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000.
Trips this year:
Civil War Trust conferences in Greenville, NC, Newport News, VA, and my farewell event with them in Chicago, IL (via sites in Louisville, KY, St. Louis, MO, and Toledo, OH),
three trips to New York City (including New York Comic-Con), and
my 13th consecutive trip to San Diego Comic-Con (including sites in Reno, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles).
Number of photos taken this year: about 535,000.
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