|
Trending Topics
|
Photos - The Forgotten Discovery: A First Temple-Era Water Reservoir near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem
(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Nadav Shragai - In 2012, during the cleaning of the Herodian drainage channels (under the Herodian Pilgrims' Road) which stretch from the Shiloah Pool to the southern wall of the Temple Mount, an underground reservoir dating back to the First Temple was discovered. One of the workers noticed that one of the floor panels of the drainage channel was wobbling. A closer examination revealed a large empty void underneath. When the archaeologists descended with a ladder, they found themselves inside a large public reservoir chiseled into the rock, which was much larger than any regular water cistern. The reservoir was sealed with brown-yellow plaster characteristic of the First Temple period. Many reservoirs in Jerusalem were discovered from the Second Temple period, but none from First Temple days had previously been found. I visited the reservoir recently. It is 4.5 meters high, 5.5 meters wide, and 12 meters in length, with a capacity of about 250 cubic meters. The writer, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center and a veteran journalist, has documented Jerusalem for thirty years.