'Tomb of Jesus' in Jerusalem opened after 200 years
A team of specialists open what is believed to be the Tomb of Jesus for three days for both restoration work and archaeological analysis.
Greek Orthodox and Franciscan priests stand behind a panel placed next to the tomb of Jesus where he is said to have been buried, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City.
Scientists have opened what is believed to be the Tomb of Jesus inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, for the first time in at least two centuries.
A marble slab covering the site, among the holiest in Christianity, was pulled back for three days as part of both restoration work and archaeological analysis.
The undergoing restoration is being carried out by a team of Greek specialists from the National Technical University of Athens directed by Chief Scientific Supervisor Professor Antonia Moropoulou.
In 2015, a major restoration project began on the site, surrounded by a structure called an Edicule and is located at the centre of the church in Jerusalem's Old City, underneath its dome.
A painting of Jesus can be seen in the narrow area above where the marble slab was removed. The last restoration in the Edicule and the interior tomb took place in 1808-1810 following a fire.
According to National Geographic, that has been documenting the restoration, the exposure of the burial bed is an opportunity for researchers to study the original form of the tomb chamber as well as its evolution.
The opening of the marble revealed debris and material, lying beneath it for at least 200 years.
Greek preservation expert Antonia Moropoulou of the National Technical University of Athens for cultural heritage preservation stands with her team in front of the Edicule surrounding the Tomb of Jesus.
A Franciscan friar looks at the exposed Tomb of Jesus, where his body is believed to have been laid.
The project required the agreement of the three major communities: the Greek Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Armenian Orthodox Church who share the church, which also contains the area where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and his body anointed.
The restoration project is expected to be completed around March 2017, in time for Easter, and the site has remained open to visitors for nearly the entire time, although the ornate edicule has been surrounded by scaffolding.
A picture taken on October 26, 2016 shows an ancient papyrus manuscript from the time of the First Temple during a press call in Jerusalem.
Christian worshippers walk in a street in the Christian quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The restoration site, a workplace for people from various religions, is watched by Thephilos III, the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem, with joy as it can carry a message of unity between all religions.
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