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Western Wall Digs Reveal
Tunnels And Other Mysteries
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56
FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 1988
Jerusalem — The entire
Western Wall of the Temple
Mount in Jerusalem has been
completely revealed for the
first time since 70 C.E.
Following excavation work
which began 20 years ago, ar-
chaeologists have uncovered
all 490 meters of the Wall
that once formed the western
girder of ancient Jerusalem's
great Temple. The entire
stonework that formed the
basis of the original Temple
Mount has now been exposed.
An ancient Hasmonean water
tunnel, built about 120 B.C.E.
and later blocked by Herod's
builders, will be visible for
the first time.
In the course of the excava-
tions, a number of mysteries
about the Temple Mount have
been solved. The idea of ex-
cavating a tunnel that would
extend the length of the
Western Wall was conceived
by the ministry of religious
affairs following the
reunification of Jerusalem in
1967. Until now, visitors to
the exposed portion of the
Wall could see only about one
third of the entire imposing
structure.
According to Jerusalem
region archaeologist Dan
Bahat, the escavation initial-
ly had no pre-defined objec-
tives. "No one knew what the
significance of this project
was, or what we actually
wanted to do there!' At one
point, around 1983, work on
the site was even temporari-
ly suspended.
"What happened in the
end," Bahat explains, "is that
this tunnel (P that had no
historical or archaeological
significance — joined, in an
entirely coincidental manner,
with a Hasmonean water tun-
nel. Suddenly, the Western
Wall tunnel became signifi-
cant!'
Although the Hasmonean
water tunnel, which con-
ducted water from a pool near
the Damascus Gate to the
northern corner of the Temple
Mount, was excavated (and
later resealed) by the British
archaeologist Claude Conder
a century ago, uncovering it
during the Western Wall ex-
cavations came as an unex-
pected boon.
As one of the excavation
workers reports, "We saw
three or four big stones and
behind them debris and more
debris. We removed a lot of it
and found ourselves at the en-
trance to a long, wet tunnel.
It was the most exciting
discovery of our lives."
The water tunnel measures
A makeshift synagogue at a section of the underground part of the
Western Wall, facing the site of the Holy of Holies.
some 80 meters in length, and
is about eight meters high.
Carved out of solid rock, the
Hasmonean water conduit is
an impressive tribute to an-
cient engineering skills. Not
only will it enhance visitors'
tours of the Western Wall ex-
cavation, but it is also one of
the rare Hasmonean finds un-
covered to date in Jerusalem.
According to Bahat, one of
the most unexpected ar-
chaeological finds disclosed
by the excavation is that
Herod did not complete the
entire construction of the
Temple Mount as historians
and archaeologists always
believed. "This is something
that I can say without any
doubt, for the first time,"
Bahat affirms. He points to a
change in the type of masonry
used at the northern end of
the Western Wall as ir-
refutable evidence that Herod
built all but the last stages of
construction on the Temple
Mount. Instead of finding the
polished stones with
characteristic Herodian
masonry marks, Bahat
observes that part of the
original stonework is roughly
hewn. He notes that this is a
surprise, for up to now the no-
tion persisted that the famous
Temple Mount was a work of
art par excellence — a com-
plete, finished product.
Naftali Kidron, the
engineer in charge of the
Western Wall project, em-
phasizes that the construc-
tion of the Temple Mount, as
revealed by the excavation, is
a fascinating study in itself.
Bahat also acknowledges the
overall attention to detail,
that must have made the
Temple Mount a remarkable
monument in its day. "We
now have a better under-
standing of how the Western
Wall was built on bedrock,"
Bahat notes. "It was chiseled
down in some places, giving
the impression that the whole
structure was actually one. In
other places, you can't see the
difference between bedrock
and dressed stone!'
Kidron adds that one of the
mysteries uncovered during
the excavation, is the
presence of massive stones
that measure some 14 meters
in length, three meters in
height, and are estimated to
be two meters thick and to
weigh over 300 tons. No one
can explain, Kidron observes,
how these gigantic rocks were
transported to the site.
Another piece of the puzzle
of ancient Jerusalem's
glorious past, was discovered
at the northern end of the
Western Wall, where ar-
chaeologists uncovered the
stone escarpment of the
famous Antonia Fortress.
Built by the Maccabeans, this
imposing building complex
commanded a great view of
the whole Temple area. But
since it existed for only a few
decades before it was
demolished by the Romans
following the fall of the Tem-
ple, it has been the subject of
so much conjecture that it
almost became shrouded in a
mystical aura.
"It was basically something
theoretical. No one knew
what it really was," Bahat ex-
plains. "But now, as you walk
along the tunnel, you can see
the rock escarpment of the
long-lost Antonia Fortress —
a very exciting discovery!'