The Kotel Tunnels

Israel is where history and religion comes alive.

Israel is recognized as the Holy Land by all faiths.

It is the dream of a lifetime for people from all over the world to visit.

According to 2016 reports, the Jewish population makes up 75%, Arabs are 21% and those identified as "others" (non-Arab Christians, Baha'i, etc) make up 4% of the population. Experts predict that the population of Israel will reach 10 million by 2025 or sooner.

One of five Israeli Arabs live in Jerusalem.

Revered as the last remnant of the Second Temple, the Western Wall is Judaism’s most sacred site on earth today and is one of four retaining walls surrounding the Temple Mount. It served as the western supporting outer wall during the times of the Second Temple. Surviving over 2000 years of history, it is the largest intact structure since the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in 70 AD.

Israel is where one can reconnect with the past, where God's presence can be felt and where one can have a life-changing experience. Faith, culture and history come together at the Western Wall in that special blend that makes Israel unique.

Due to the wall's significance in Judaism today, it has become customary to place a small note with a wish or prayer within the cracks of the ancient wall and visitors of all faiths and cultures come to visit. You don't have to be Jewish to pray at the Wall and only need the desire to do so. We have loved visiting the wall, especially on Friday night because it is crowded with people who come to pray, sing, and dance. It is not only a place to pray but also a place to celebrate life. Cameras and cell phones are not allowed on Friday nights in observance of Shabbat.

The Western Wall tunnel is a treat for history buffs and archaeologists because there is an open air portion of the wall which lies beneath today's Old City. We have been wanting to visit and finally had the opportunity to do so. You have to make a reservation, however, and the tour takes about 1-1/2 hours to complete. Women are required to dress modestly and men must wear a "kippa" so Garth brought along one to wear.

We were lead down a staircase and then into a tunnel where we saw a model and a short video showing the destruction of the Temple 2,000 years ago.

The video gave us a better perception of Jerusalem before it was destroyed. The tunnels are those that have been created by numerous arches side-by-side supporting staircases going from the city to the Temple Mount.

In ancient times there was a shallow valley which ran along the Western side of the Temple Mount (now filled in due to constant demolition and rebuilding) that separated the Herodian quarter from the Temple. It was the need to bridge this that caused the arches to be built. These pathways still hold up the streets today and the tunnel goes directly underneath the Muslim quarter.

In 1864, an engineer and archaeologist by the name of Charles Wilson arrived in the Land of Israel. His first task was mapping the city of Jerusalem.

We discovered an incredible structure of tunnels, arches and passages on this tour.

Photo: We are looking down from an upper level to excavation level below.

In early 1867, about two years after Wilson’s discoveries, another British researcher arrived in Jerusalem as an emissary of the British Foundation for the Research of the Holy Land. This researcher, Charles Warren, dug shafts at Wilson’s Arch (one of them is found in the prayer hall inside Wilson’s Arch) and reached down to the original bedrock infrastructure. During the excavations, new details were uncovered (some of them previously unknown) about the history and geography of the Temple Mount compound through past generations. Cement was not originally used to hold the stones together but was added later for stability.

During his excavation in Jerusalem, Warren also uncovered one of the four entrance gates to the Temple Mount that were in the Western Wall during the Second Temple period that would later be named Warren’s Gate.

The tunnel in some places is over 60 feet high and the original tunnel was 1,700 feet long and is 17 courses of stones underground.

Wilson and Warren were among the first to uncover the northern continuation of the Western Wall but had difficulty continuing excavations and their mission was never completed. However, they uncovered remnants of buildings but were not able to figure out what they were and were unable to explain their connection to each other.

Restoration of the ancient arches, stabilizing of the stones that were damaged by earthquakes and repairing water damage demanded unique engineering and safety solutions.

Previously unknown facts about construction methods, hidden sites, and important archaeological finds were uncovered.

Little by little, the Great Bridge from the Second Temple period was uncovered along with ritual baths that served Jerusalem residents and pilgrims, a street that (based on coins and earthenware found on the site) was estimated to date from the Second Temple period and practically the entire length of the the Western Wall.

 

In those days the world of hi-tech focused on quarrying, removing and transporting stones. Historical sources record that Herod trained more than 10,000 people (actually they were slaves) to be involved in this work. They made transportation routes and then moved the huge stones in a variety of ways – on rolling wooden platforms drawn by camels, stone pieces on carriages, etc.

The process of removing stone from the quarry was amazing! Deep grooves were cut in the limestone upon which wood planks were pounded in. Water was poured over the planks and as the wood swelled, it caused the stone to split. It all sounded a bit far-fetched but the stones were very uniform and the stones in the walls had no cement between them. However they accomplished it, they were able to build a wall that has stood for thousands of years!

Impressive Muslim construction projects from the Middle Ages were found that had been preserved through the years along with metal plates that were used to cut the stones from the bedrock, and coins and pottery that date to the end of the Second Temple period (the first century BCE).

Our footsteps traced thousands of years of history. We could reach out in the tunnel and touch portions of the huge arches that supported Jerusalem’s streets. Some of the building blocks were the most massive ever discovered.

The excavations also revealed immense stone courses of the Wall, ancient water pits and an ancient water tunnel from the Hasmonean period that was blocked by Herod when he expanded the site of the Temple Mount.

For 50 years, from the outbreak of World War I until the Six Day War (1967), no excavations were conducted in the area of the Western Wall.

Photo: ceiling. Only after the Six Day War and the reunification of Jerusalem were the excavations of the Western Wall Tunnels renewed with the goal of uncovering the entire length of the Western Wall. This project was assigned to the Ministry of Religion and was led by the Rabbi of the Western Wall with great dedication.

The excavations continued for almost 20 years with many difficulties and challenges. It was not until 1988 when a foundation was established (Western Wall Heritage Foundation), that excavations were continued. The WWHF continues to this day and were responsible for opening the tunnels to the public.

All these finds have made the Western Wall Tunnels a phenomenal historic and archaeological treasure. And . . .there is so much more that is hidden than has yet to be uncovered at the foot of the Temple Mount so the excavation work in the Tunnels will always continue.

We re-emerged in present-day Jerusalem with a new appreciation for the magnificent and moving site. It was a trip through time and a powerful lesson in Jewish history, the archeology and topography of the city. The Western Wall Tunnel excavation project, conducted with great thoroughness under careful Halachic (Jewish Law) and scientific supervision, has revealed to the public the Jerusalem during its glory days, from 2,000 years ago.