| Site Description | Mar Saba Monastery is a Greek Orthodox monastery located in the Kidron Valley of the West Bank, approximately 20 kilometers east of Jerusalem. Founded in 483 CE by Saint Sabas of Cappadocia, it stands as one of the oldest continuously inhabited monasteries in the world.
The dramatic complex clings to the cliffside of the Kidron gorge, its distinctive blue domes and fortress-like walls creating a striking contrast against the arid desert landscape. The monastery houses important religious relics and maintains ancient traditions, including restrictions that prohibit women from entering the main compound—a rule preserved since Byzantine times.
Mar Saba remains an active spiritual center, home to a small community of monks who continue the contemplative traditions established over fifteen centuries ago, making it a living testament to early Christian monasticism. | |
| Project Description | 398 images using balloon based photogrammetry with a DSLR, covering the Mar Saba Monastery in the Kidron river valley.
The methodology is detailed here:
Thomas E. Levy, Connor Smith, Kristin Agcaoili, Anish Kannan, Avner Goren, Jürgen P. Schulze,
and Glenn Yago, At-Risk World Heritage and Virtual Reality Visualization for Cyber-Archaeology In:
Digital Cities. Edited by: Maurizio Forte and Helena Murteira, Oxford University Press (2020).
© Oxford University Press.
DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780190498900.003.0008 | |