Har Hazaytim is where the parah adumah (red heifer) was slaughtered. The cohen stood at a precise location where he faced the kodesh hakedoshim (Holy of Holies) at eye level through al the eastern gates. That is why the eastern gate of Har Habayit (Temple Mount) was lower than the others.
On Rosh Chodesh in ancient times torches were lit on the top of the mountain as a signal to distant communities that a new month had been sanctified.
The first mention of Har Hazaytim in the Bible is in the book of II Samuel ch. 15 v. 30.
After the 1967 war when Jews once more had access to this area 38,000 of the 50,000 tombstones had been desecrated or stolen. Some were later found in surrounding villages serving as paving stones or flooring. The cemetery has now been restored, the tombstones replaced and the grounds reconsecrated as a cemetery.
In ancient times the mountain was covered with olive trees but few remain today.