A roughly 2,000-year-old stepped street that once led pilgrims up to the Temple Mount from the southern part of Jerusalem is set to open to the public, allowing visitors to walk a path last used during the Second Temple period. The street begins near where archaeologists believe the ancient Pool of Siloam stood—at the entrance to the city in what is now the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. This mostly subterranean road runs beneath modern infrastructure for several hundred meters, ending at the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden adjacent to the Western Wall.

Much of the area is part of the City of David archaeological park. Excavations conducted over decades have uncovered remarkable finds spanning Jerusalem’s long history, including remains from the First Temple period (1000–586 BCE), when many biblical narratives are set, and the Second Temple period, which ended with the city’s destruction in 70 CE.

The Pilgrimage Road, located in the City of David, has been under excavation for approximately twenty years by archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). Researchers believe it was constructed in the early years of the Common Era, possibly under King Herod or the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, serving as the main thoroughfare for pilgrims ascending to the Temple from the south.

Historical and Jewish sources describe how, at the end of the Second Temple period, millions of pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem for the festivals of Passover, Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost), and Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), when the city and the Temple were at the height of their grandeur following Herod’s renovations.

“This is one of the most magnificent archaeological discoveries in Jerusalem in recent decades,” said Amit Re’em, the IAA’s chief archaeologist for the Jerusalem District. “For the first time, we can see a direct connection between the Pool of Siloam and the Temple Mount. The street remained sealed beneath the modern city for thousands of years.”

Today, the road is enclosed within a tunnel of concrete and metal that supports the homes and streets above it. While experts estimate that the original street was approximately eight meters (26 feet) wide, based on sections exposed near the Temple Mount, only part of it has been fully uncovered.

“It’s possible that the reason why they [parts of the road] are so well preserved is that actually the road was not in use for very long,” explained tour guide Ariana Ohayon. “In the year 70 CE, Jerusalem was destroyed [by the Romans]. The road was covered.”

Praise God for the discovery of this road which displays the tremendous history the Israelites had in Jerusalem, especially as they used the road during Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles to enter the Temple to worship the Lord. 

Read more at Times of Israel