The City of David

             An amazing archeological site lies just outside of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.  Three thousand years ago, King David swept into the city and took control from the Canaanites.  He proceeded to fortify and embellish the infrastructure that was already in place.  Centuries later, after control of the city had changed hands multiple times, these original settlements gradually fell to ruin and were buried beneath subsequent generations.  The remnants of this original city provide an archeological treasure trove that is now the Israeli National Park, “The City of David”.

            An amazing feature of this site is Hezekiah’s Tunnel.  It is a 530 meter long tunnel that was completed around in the 8^th Century BC in order to bring water into the ancient walled city from a natural spring.  It is an archaeological marvel as the corridor, just wide enough for a human to pass through, winds its way from the spring to the Siloam Pool with a grade of 0.06%...just enough to keep the water flowing.



            For students of the Bible, Hezekiah’s Tunnel as well as the Pool of Siloam are both mentioned  (I am not able to site for you the exact passage but will offer extra credit to the first person to report back with the correct answer).  Of note however, The Pool of Siloam is the location in which the Bible tells that Jesus sent a blind man to be healed.

            But I digress.  My whole point in writing about this is to simply say that we had an incredible journey through the length of the tunnel from its origin to its destination at the pool.  The tunnel is accessed by descending many steep stairs down a deep, rock hewn shaft.  From there, with head lamp on and pants rolled up as high as possible, we began the trek through the knee to waist deep water.  When else in our lives are we going to get to hike through a structure that is nearly three thousand years old and flows with clear fresh water?  As we emerged from the tunnel, we were able to see and touch the original inscription that dedicated the tunnel and the pool….not bad, not bad.





            We visited the City of David after our Holy City tour.  Thus, after emerging from the Pool of Siloam we were hungry and ready for some hummus and falafel.  We found a great cave-like restaurant somewhere in the gray area between the Jewish and Muslim Quarters and sat down to a feast of hummus, falafel, salad, pita and chips….yyyeesssss!!!  What a perfect ending to an amazing day!