Palestine and the Garden of Gethsemane overwhelmed by plague of locusts in 1915

The plague referred to occured in the spring and summer of 1915 when Palestine was closed to the outside world by the war.

They ravaged the country from the borders of Egypt to the Taurus mountains and were a source of anxiety for many months both to the Turkish authorities and the native population. They consumed every green thing - which meant a serious shortage of food and fodder, which greatly militated against the movement of the Turkish forces.

The destruction caused by these flying clouds was enormous.

Swarms of locusts had flown overhead in such thick clouds as to obscure the sun for the time being. However, before they were seen a loud noise, produced by the flapping of myriads of wings, was heard, described as resembling thedistant rumble of waves or as the Bible has it "the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running into battle." It was several days later that the locusts were first seen in Jerusalem.

The clouds of them would be so dense as to appear quite black. It was the 28th day of May when the larvae, already transforming itself in the pupa stage, reached the quiet of the Garden of Gethsemane (literally means “oil press" is located on a slope of the Mount of Olives), now in its full summer bloom; but scarcely had a day passed before every tender thing was consumed, and even the leaves of the woody cypress and of the Olive trees, the latter about one thousand years old, were attacked. The garden was ravaged. The entire city of Jerusalem, with the exception of the portion within the walls, fell a prey to the ravages of the creeping pests, while the entire land from "Dan to Beersheba" was laid desolate.

The devastation was complete, and only those resident in the country at the time could appreciate the sufferings and hardships the locusts caused. All vegetables and fruits virtually dissapeared as by magic. Olives and Olive oil were almost unabtainable.

El Butini weakened by the swarms of locusts

"El Butini," the most famous of the Garden of Gethsemane's Olive trees, under which the Saviour is supposed to have walked during the Night of the Agony was later (1920) blown down in a snow storm. It had, as a matter of fact, been practically killed in 1915, when an unprecedented plague of locusts swept down on Jerusalem, destroying every green thing for many miles around. Twice it was bound round with iron braces to prevent it from falling.

Legend of Turkish fall comes true

According to tradition this tree would fall when the Turkish empire fell. The significance of this prophecy comes to us at a time when the allies have about concluded to drive the Turks from Constantinople.

El Butini

Currently, there are 8 Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane

These trees with their age-split trunks are old, extremely old. 1000 years? 2000years? No one knows. Tradition, of course, dates them back to the time of Christ. It is unlikely that these trees were in the garden in the time of Christ because, the Romans, according to Flavius Josephus, cut down all the trees in the vicinity during their siege of Jerusalem in AD 70.


	Home Israel and the Jewish people Palestine and the Garden of Gethsemane overwhelmed by plague of locusts in 1915 The plague referred to occured in the spring and summer of 1915 when Palestine was closed to the outside world by the war. They ravaged the country from the borders of Egypt to the Taurus mountains and were a source of anxiety for many months both to the Turkish authorities and the native population. They consumed every green thing - which meant a serious shortage of food and fodder, which greatly militated against the movement of the Turkish forces. The destruction caused by these flying clouds was enormous. Swarms of locusts had flown overhead in such thick clouds as to obscure the sun for the time being. However, before they were seen a loud noise, produced by the flapping of myriads of wings, was heard, described as resembling thedistant rumble of waves or as the Bible has it "the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running into battle." It was several days later that the locusts were first seen in Jerusalem. The clouds of them would be so dense as to appear quite black. It was the 28th day of May when the larvae, already transforming itself in the pupa stage, reached the quiet of the Garden of Gethsemane (literally means “oil press" is located on a slope of the Mount of Olives), now in its full summer bloom; but scarcely had a day passed before every tender thing was consumed, and even the leaves of the woody cypress and of the Olive trees, the latter about one thousand years old, were attacked. The garden was ravaged. The entire city of Jerusalem, with the exception of the portion within the walls, fell a prey to the ravages of the creeping pests, while the entire land from "Dan to Beersheba" was laid desolate. The devastation was complete, and only those resident in the country at the time could appreciate the sufferings and hardships the locusts caused. All vegetables and fruits virtually dissapeared as by magic. Olives and Olive oil were almost unabtainable. El Butini weakened by the swarms of locusts "El Butini," the most famous of the Garden of Gethsemane's Olive trees, under which the Saviour is supposed to have walked during the Night of the Agony was later (1920) blown down in a snow storm. It had, as a matter of fact, been practically killed in 1915, when an unprecedented plague of locusts swept down on Jerusalem, destroying every green thing for many miles around. Twice it was bound round with iron braces to prevent it from falling. Legend of Turkish fall comes true According to tradition this tree would fall when the Turkish empire fell. The significance of this prophecy comes to us at a time when the allies have about concluded to drive the Turks from Constantinople. El Butini Currently, there are 8 Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane These trees with their age-split trunks are old, extremely old. 1000 years? 2000years? No one knows. Tradition, of course, dates them back to the time of Christ. It is unlikely that these trees were in the garden in the time of Christ because, the Romans, according to Flavius Josephus, cut down all the trees in the vicinity during their siege of Jerusalem in AD 70.