Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority are working to excavate a section of an ancient aqueduct in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood of Jerusalem as part of a project by the IAA, the Jerusalem Municipality, and the Moriah Jerusalem Development Corporation to make the 2,000 engineering marvel accessible to the general public.
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The lower aqueduct to Jerusalem following a winding path over 21 km. (13 miles) long and leads from Solomon's Pool south of Bethlehem to the Temple Mount in the Old City. For one kilometer, the aqueduct runs slightly downhill at a slope of a little over one meter (three feet).
The Hasmonean rulers initiated the great work to increase the water supply to Jerusalem as a whole and the Temple Mount in particular. It remained in use for some 2,000 years until electrical-powered pumps were installed during the British Mandate.
Yaakov Billing, an expert on ancient aqueducts at the IAA, explained that two aqueducts brought water to Jerusalem from Solomon's Pools, located in Bethlehem and Efrat – the "upper" aqueduct and the "lower" one.
"It's amazing to think about the high-level calculation and planning capabilities of 2,000 years ago, without the sophisticated means we have at our disposal nowadays," Billig said.
As the aqueduct is exposed, it is also undergoing conservation by IAA experts ahead of being integrated into a public park.
Antiquities Authority director Eli Eskosido said stressed that Jerusalem Day, celebrated this year on May 29, "Is an excellent opportunity to give the public a taste of what is hiding beneath this wonderful city and the aqueduct is an example of that.
"The ancient aqueduct runs through the neighborhoods of Jerusalem from north to south until it reaches the Temple Mount. This is an engineering marvel on a global scale. Slowly, it is being exposed in all its glory, and we at the IAA are working to display it for the residents of Jerusalem and the general public.
"It's important to understand that Jerusalem is special and important, to a large extent because of its antiquities and the past they represent," Eskosido continued, adding that the Antiquities Authority was working to excavate, conserve, and protect those antiquities.
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