The City of David
Three thousand years ago, King David, the son of Jesse, conquered Jebus and made it his capital, Jerusalem. It is where both David and his son Solomon reigned. The City of David is actually located outside of the walls of the current Old City of Jerusalem. It is not far from the Temple Mount, where Solomon built the first temple, as well as the Wailing Wall. To get to the City of David, pass through the Dung Gate and take a left, going downhill (thankfully).
The Mount of Olives Looking farther across the horizon from the City of David is the Mount of Olives and a whole lot of graves, an estimated 150,000! For impurity reasons, people were buried outside of the city instead of within the walls. The Mount of Olives is conveniently located not far from the city walls. However, there is also the belief that the Jewish Messiah as well as the Christian Messiah will arrive on the Mount of Olives. Those buried on this mount are thought to be resurrected first. Regardless, it is an impressive view from the City of David.
A view of the Mount of Olives beyond the flowers and excavation around David's palace
The Large Stone Structure There is so much archeological work that has been done in the area and it continues to this day. Ruins date back to the remains of David’s palace, the First and Second Temples, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the wall, Hezekiah’s tunnel, as well as the periods of Roman, Byzantine, Crusaders, and Muslim presence in the area. In other words, there was so much to see.
The actual site of the City of David was discovered by Charles Warren in 1867 – 1870. He discovered a rock-cut water system on the slope of the hill outside the city’s walls. In a bit of reverse excavation, he climbed through the shafts and discovered the network of tunnels that led him up the hill from beneath the ground. His discovery led to the breakthrough of finding where ancient Jerusalem was located.
The first Jewish archaeologist was Baron Edmond de Rothschild. He saw great importance in the City of David so in the early twentieth century, he purchased land there. You can do that if you are a baron and a Rothschild. He enlisted the help of French Jewish archaeologist Ramond Weill to excavate and investigate the site.
Excavation in the area has not been without scandal. In 1909 – 1911, Montagu Parker explored the vicinity. When he couldn’t find what he wanted in the City of David, he bribed guards at the Temple Mount to excavate beneath there. When word of that got out, he had to flee the city. Of course, there were rumors that he uncovered – and took – Temple treasures.
In 2005, researchers discovered ruins beneath the Byzantine and Second Temple periods. Called the “Large Stone Structure” and with stately artifacts found in the same area, it is thought that this could be the actual location of King David’s palace. So very cool to see!
Passages in the tunnels (left and right) as well as the Gihon Spring (center).
Canaanite and Hezekiah’s Tunnels There are a variety of tunnels along the Western Wall and the City of David. Any city needs access to water. The main source of Jerusalem has long been the Gihon Spring. It was located down the hill from the fortified city and outside of the city’s protective walls. The ancient citizens burrowed under the city wall to create a hidden access to this water in times of siege. There is also a theory that David’s soldiers used thus passage to infiltrate and capture the city of Jebus. In 1 Kings 1, David ordered Nathan the prophet and Zadok the priest to anoint Solomon as king at the Gihon Spring.
As I toured the City of David, one if the major destinations in my mind was a walk through one of the tunnels. The Canaanite tunnel runs about 400 meters. It was once used to irrigate the Kidron Valley. Now it is completely dry, illuminated, and about a five-minute walk.
King Hezekiah is credited with having his tunnel carved through solid rock in preparation for a siege by the Assyrians 2,600 years ago. It was one of the most technologically complex feats in all of ancient history. It had water flowing from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam (where one of my favorite Bible stories takes place). The tunnel curves for 583 yards, and according to an inscribed stone found on location, the tunnel was carved out by two teams, each working from opposite ends. (That engraved stone, by the way, was initially chiseled out by vandals and later seized by Ottoman authorities. It is now in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. What I photographed was made of Styrofoam.) To this day, nobody knows what technology was used so the two teams could navigate through the rock to find each other. And if that isn’t impressive enough, the entire length of the tunnel is almost perfectly level.
You have a choice of which tunnel you may choose to hike. All along, for years, I wanted to take the Hezekiah Tunnel. But, I didn’t take that 40 minute hike after all. I set foot in the tunnel. I started the journey. But, there were no lights, and I had no flashlight. I stepped into the darkness and both feet were instantly soaked. I read later that part of the journey went through knee-deep water. I’m quite content with my very dry hike through the Canaanite Tunnel.
The Hezekiah inscription that told of two teams digging one tunnel.
The Pool of Siloam The very farthest downhill part of the journey went to the Pool of Siloam. It is thought that pilgrims to the Temple Mount first purified themselves at this location. In John 9, Jesus healed a man born blind. The guy was told to wash his eyes in the Pool of Siloam and his sight would be restored. Of course, the healing happened just as Jesus instructed. What I love about the story is when the formerly blind man was questioned by the Pharisees. The religious rulers said Jesus was a sinner. The guy said, “Never in all history has a man born blind been healed. If Jesus healed my blindness, he must be from God.” The Pharisees questioned the man so much that he finally asked, “Are you also interested in following Jesus?” Great question. Eventually one very happy man -- who could see perfectly -- was cast from the presence of the Pharisees.
There was a lot of downhill walking when touring the City of David. It all sounds well and good, but eventually you have to make your way back up the hill to the exit. It was quite a walk. It was gorgeous and equally exhausting. I left with aching feet and such a sense of satisfaction. Been there, wanted to do it for so very long, done that.