Palace of Herod the Great

Bulgakov's notes show that he took the architectural details from Farrar's Life of Jesus Christ. The palace was located at the Western side of the city walls. You can see it on the maps of ancient Jerusalem.

 A reconstruction of the Palace of Herod the Great at the Holyland Hotel.

Herod I the Great (b. ca. 73 BC) was the King of Judea 37-4 BC and an ally of the Romans. He rebuilt the temple, but was disliked by the principal factions among the Jews. According to the New Testament, he ordered the murder of all Jewish children when he heard of the birth of Christ.