When you walk through the dark, hold your head lamp high

This field trip through Hezekiah's Tunnel was definitely a favorite for Frank and me, and we look forward to taking our whole family later this month and also bringing Grandmas and Grandpas in December. 

We began by touring some very recently excavated ruins that may have been a part of King David's palace or at least some important buildings within the walls of King David's city.  This site is downhill to the south from the existing Temple Mount but near the top of the Ophel Ridge which David captured from the Jebusites. Some bullae (small round pieces of clay upon which seals were pressed to seal documents) were found in this area with the names of Gedaliah and Jocal who may have been among those who condemned the prophet Jeremiah after Jeremiah warned them to flee Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 38:1-4).  If they condemned Jeremiah, it is possible they also condemned Lehi as well.

  

 Next we walked to the famous "Area G" excavated by Kathleen Kenyon in the 1960s.  In this area was uncovered a huge "stepped stone structure" that was a glacis or retaining wall that was built in order to strengthen the hillside and to support the large building on top (possibly the palace).  Later, after Jerusalem grew because northern Israelites fled south from the Assyrians, some people even built homes on the glacis itself.  (Lehi's ancestors, who were from the tribe of Manasseh--a northern tribe--likely made their way to Jerusalem during this time period.)  The ruins of one such house are on the stepped stone structure and probably date to around 600 BC.  It is called the "House of Ahiel" because some ostraca (broken pottery pieces with writing on them) contained his name.  To the right is a room called "the Burnt Room" because it contained a layer of ash and arrowheads from the Babylonian invasion.  This home witnessed prophets like Lehi and Jeremiah and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.  

 

Then we watched a 3-D film about the City of David and its importance in Israelite history.  We took off our socks, put on our head lamps, and headed down a lot of stairs. 

After many flights of stairs, we passed an archaeological site in progress.  This site has huge rocks that may have been from a Canaanite tower. 

Here the path divided; our friend Ann Killian went left to the "dry tunnel" with others who didn't wish to get soggy.  The dry dunnel is a Canaanite watercourse which was only recently discovered but has fueled all kinds of speculation that it may be the "gutter" mentioned in 2 Samuel 5:8 that helped Joab conquer the city for David.   Frank and I went with 38 students to the wet tunnel--this is Brandt Peacock (aka "the sheep whisperer").

The water was cold at first but soon felt really refreshing.  We sloshed along for around 30 minutes in water that came up to our knees.  For most of its length the tunnel was just tall and wide enough for us to walk through single file.  The course meandered back and forth, following natural fissures in the rock when possible, with a few abrupt turns near the meeting place where the tunnelers met.  We were amazed at the narrowness.  There was hardly enough room to swing a hammer, let alone a pick axe.  The chisel marks on the walls showed the painstaking effort this must have taken. 

Here you can see a dramatic shift in direction as the northbound tunnelers originally started off directly behind me (Jill), then turned almost 90 degrees left and headed off behind where Frank is standing.

 A plaque described the meeting of the tunnelers: "While the laborers were still working with their picks, each toward the other, and while there were still three cubits to be broken through, the voice of each was heard calling to the other, because there was a crack in the rock... and at the moment of the breakthrough, the laborers struck each toward the other, pick against pick."  The original plaque is in Turkey, but a replica is near the exit of the tunnel. 

 Near the end of the tunnel the ceiling was around 40 feet above us.  If you look closely you can see bats.  Not really. 

 At the end of the tunnel was a lovely green pool, once thought to be the pool of Siloam, but a better site has been found further south. 

 Water from the tunnel used to collect on the right, then spill over the stairs and end up on the left in the pool, a portion of which has been excavated. 

Here the Savior sent the blind man to wash the mud from his face, thus restoring his sight. President Kimball posed the question, why didn't the Savior use oil, herbs, and water from a pure spring to heal the man? The answer is that by using the impure, gritty elements of the earth, Jesus made it clear that the healing came from Him. Truly the Savior has the power to reach out and heal us even as we are surrounded with the mundane or filthy elements of earth life.

 

Below left, Jill and Jocelyn stand in the pool of Siloam.  Below right is the playground for Arabic children, whose laughter and shouts spill down the stairway as we exit. 

Admission: 25 shekels (NIS) for adults,19 NIS for kids and dignified folks, or free with Nat'l parks card.  3-D Movie 10 NIS