Jerusalem – Wednesday November 26th 2014 – Time: 11:19
After visiting the Western Wall, we headed to our next stop that it was just a few minutes walking from the Wall,
I was in the City of David and oldest part of Jerusalem where King David established the unified capital of tribes of Israel 3000 years ago. After a 3D Movie about the City of David, we started the visit on a veranda with a view of the Mount of Olives. It is said that on the Mount of Olives, Jesus often prayed and it was the place where he was arrested. Today it is a famous cemetery.
City of David has being excavated with stunning findings since 1850. Excavations continue discovering new remains of the Old City of Jerusalem. Because of the rain, we were unable to discover the city by ourselves but our lovely guide, Tiki, explained that in the City of David has been found remains of how their inhabitants lived. One of the most important findings was 51 Seals written in Hebrew in a room. Archaeologists think the place where Seals were found should be an office during the time. When visiting the only area of excavation that rain let us, Tiki told us that the place where we were standing once it was a public parking that it was closed after discovering a new part of the city with the characteristic baths of the time.
I was photographing the excavation when I heard Tiki saying that we were going to visit the most popular part of the City of David but it could be difficult for people very tall or oversize,
City of David is outside connected by underground tunnels. They were constructed to obtain water from nearby springs or as connection between different points of the city area.
Today three tunnels can be visited:
- Warren’s Shaft: Tunnel from City of David to Spring of Gihon.
- Hezekiah’s Tunnel: Tunnel 500 meters long and the highlight of the site. The tunnel was used to take water from the Spring of Gihon to the Pool of Siloam where it is said that a blind man was healed after Jesus told him to wash in. Nowadays visits should be made with swimsuit because the tunnel is still filled with water (normally between 0.5m-1m deep). At the Visitor Center I saw some lockers and changing rooms for adventurers who want to enjoy this experience.
- Temple Road Ascent: Tunnel 650 meters long connecting the City of David with the Temple. Tiki took us to walk along this tunnel recently uncovered.
Tiki, our guide, stood before the tunnel entrance to explain us that Temple Road Ascent is the underground tunnel used by pilgrims to ascent the Temple Mount from the Pool of Siloam, where pilgrims were purified and refreshed before ascending the Temple. This tunnel is long, low and narrow in some points, so we had to walk carefully because also it was slippery.
Part of the visit runs along the base of the Western Wall. Here we also found some papers with desires as it happens at the open-air Wall.
A great experience to end the visit that the rain would not let us enjoy.
