Zedekiah's Cave

Zedekiah's Cave (Solomon's Quarries) is located next to Damascus Gate in the Old City and the entrance is in the Old City wall. We had a some extra time when we were already in the vicinity so we decided to find another place to explore. Zedekiah’s Cave was a small, natural cave until the Second Temple Period when it was enlarged into a huge subterranean stone quarry extending under the houses of the Old City. The quarry supplied the stone for many magnificent buildings in Jerusalem. This cave extends almost 650 feet under the Old City and was discovered in the mid-19th century.

Jewish legend reports that King Zedekiah of Judah fled from the Babylonians through this cave (Jeremiah 52:7) emerging at the outskirts of Jericho. This site is also known as "Solomon's Quarries" because it served as a rock quarry during and after the First Temple period. For the building of the First Temple, King Solomon had 80,000 men trained as masons (1 Kings 5:29) and it is assumed that the stones for Solomon's Temple were quarried in this cave. Photo: The Freemasons Hall The Freemasons regard King Solomon as the first biblical Freemason and since the cave was popularly viewed as the quarry used by King Solomon in the building of the First Temple, the Freemasons have held their traditional ceremonies during the past century in the main chamber of the cave. They hold their meetings here because they considered King Solomon "the first mason." The signs of lodges scratched on the rocks bear witness to these secret gatherings. The white balls mark the place the Freemasons use for their ceremonies.

Zedekiah's cave is a great place for cave lovers. It has electric lighting and is easy to explore but you need to wear a hat to catch the overhead drips of water that seep down from the top. It is a little muddy is places and it also helps to have a flashlight.

The cave, a source of many legends among Christians, Jews and Muslims, has acquired an atmosphere of mystery when it was first rediscovered and explored. As we walked through the cave I wished the walls could have talked because I am sure that it would be a great place for anyone to hide and it seemed very feasible that a whole community could have lived here.

On both sides of the path are huge supporting columns, dug out of the quarried rock. These columns were left by the stone cutters to support the rock ceiling which measured 300 x 600 feet and weights approximately ½ million tons!

The rock ceiling above the cave has many cracks and carved openings through which water drips into a small pool known as “Zedekiah’s tears.” Legend says that the source of the water is the tears of King Zedekiah shed when captured by the Chaldeans after the destruction of the First Temple. The water in the cave is not drinkable.

We left the cave and ventured back toward the bus station, passing by this vendor who was asleep.

It costs 5-1/2 sheckles to ride the bus which is about $1.50.

We took the bus back to the Jerusalem. Look closely and you'll see it on Mount Scopus (building with arched windows).