8. Pool of Hezekiah/ Patriarch’s Pool/ Amygdalon Pool/ Pillar Pool/ Birket Hammam al-Batrak (1st Century BC?)

 All photos taken on 17 July, 2009 from the Phasael Tower, Tower of David (the Citadel).

Every day hundreds of tourists walk through the Christian Quarter Road (Derek HaNotsrim) between the Jaffa Gate and the Church of Holy sepulcher without realizing that a section of the congested shops in the street borders a large rectangular pool. Known as the Hezekiah Pool it was supplied with water through a small aqueduct from another  pool called the Birkat Mamilla. According to Wikipedia the pool is 240 ft long by 140 ft wide and has a capacity to hold 11 million liters of water. Sadly, this ancient pool is almost sealed from outside world as there is no public access to it except through homes and shops. You can see from the first photo how near is the pool from the Holy Sepulcher Church and the Lutheran Church of Redeemer. The pool was turned into a local garbage dump and was in a very bad shape until it was cleaned recently.

The different names of the pool in one way take you through its unique history. Some believe Hezekiah Pool, is the Biblical ‘Conduit of the Upper Pool’ where the Assyrian King Sennacherib's field commander met the men of the Jewish King Hezekiah (Isaiah 36:2 and 2 Kings 18:17). For others it is the traditional pool of King Hezekiah (8^th Century BC), "Hezekiah made a pool and a conduit and brought water into the city" (2 Kings 10:20). 

Amygdalon Pool or Almond Tree Pool (Amygdalon in Greek is Almond) is where the tenth legion of Titus raised a ridge during the siege of Jerusalem (70 AD) according to Josephus (War 5: 468). The ‘Patriarch’s Pool’ (Pool of the Patriarch’s Bath), gets its name from the 12^th Century Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, who owned the pool that also supplied water to the baths near Patriarchal Palace. Birket Hammam al-Batrak is an Arabic version of the Latin name of ‘Patriarch’s Pool’. The pool is sometimes called the ‘Pillar Pool’ or ‘Pool of Towers’ (Migdal in Hebrew is tower), probably due to its location near the monumental towers of Herod’s Palace in Jerusalem (the modern Citadel or Tower of David). 

It is generally believed that the pool is from the Herodian period (1^st century BC), although no archaeological excavations have been conducted on the site. The pool was used until late 19^th century and thereafter it became a garbage dump of the Old City of Jerusalem. Today, at least three different bodies claim ownership of the pool: the Islamic Waqf (who controls the Temple Mount), the Coptic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. Tons of garbage was disposed at the site for years and serious health hazards became a grave concern before the Jerusalem Municipality, the Environmental Protection Ministry and Jerusalem Development Authority decided to act with the three owners who share custody of the area in June 2011 through a NIS 3 million project. Thanks to their combined efforts, the Hezekiah Pool is clean now, so much that an International Musical concert was held at the venue on October, 2012. Tom Powers, a Jerusalem based tour guide is tracking the developments and has some excellent photographs of the pool here (see also the links in the article).

Accessibility and Location:

The original entrance into the pool is at the northwestern corner through a Coptic Khan (Aqabat Khan El-Aqbat), today part of a private residence and closed to public. There is an entrance through a shop located at 76 Christian Quarter Road, but it is meant for the worker’s who clean the pool (see 1 and 2 of Map). Anyway, to explore the pool you need to obtain permission from multiple owners and that isn't easy. The best way to see the pool is aerially from two locations, 1) Roof top of Petra Hostel near Jaffa Gate after paying a small fee (NIS 5) and, 2) Top of Phasael Tower of the Citadel (Tower of David), provided you have a good zoom lens.

 

Courtesy, Google Map

7. The 'Finger of Og' or the 'Herod's Pillar' (1st century BC?)

In the heart of downtown Jerusalem near the Russian compound, but not far from the Jaffa Gate of Old City there is an impressive artifact. A colossal 12 m (40 ft) long monolithic column made of Jerusalem Stone dating from the Second Temple Period lies there in a fenced trench. This cracked column was discovered in 1871. Archaeologists believe that the site used to be a quarry in ancient times and the column was abandoned since it was cracked during quarrying.

It is widely presumed that the column was meant for one of King Herod’s (1^st century BC) colossal building projects in Jerusalem, probably for the colonnades of Jerusalem Temple itself. Alternate views suggest the column was meant for a building in the time of Theodosius I (4^th century AD) or to support the roof of the magnificent 6^th century ‘Nea Church’ of Jerusalem built by Justinian I.

An interesting legend associated with the pillar is that it represents the ‘finger bone of Og', King of Bashan. In Bible, Og was an Amorite giant-king of Bashan killed by Joshua (9:10). “King Og of Bashan was the last survivor of the giant Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It can still be seen in the Ammonite city of Rabbah” (Dueteronomy 3:11, NLT). Some assume that "the Amorite" mentioned in the Book of Amos refer to Og, “whose height was like the height of the cedars and whose strength was like the oaks” (Amos 2:9).

Location: At Shne’ur Kheshin Street, between the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral and the Regional Police Headquarters of Jerusalem. The pillar is inside a trench just in front of the Police Headquarters. It takes only 10 minutes to walk from Jaffa Gate to the Russian Compound which lies approximately 1 km North West.

Date: December 17, 2009

6. The Syriac Orthodox Chapel of St Joseph of Arimathea and St Nicodemus

This poorly maintained chapel is used by the Syriac Orthodox group, one of the six communities that control the Holy Sepulcher Church. It's dilapidated condition is mainly due to the conflict between the Syrians and the Armenians over the ownership of the room. The Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan celebrates mass here on every Sunday. Note the Syriac writings on the painting of the Virgin Mary with Jesus.The chapel preserves one of the oldest parts of the church in the form of first century tombs from the time of Jesus.

Location. Just behind (west) the Holy Sepulcher or Tomb of Jesus (Edicule) and the Coptic Orthodox Chapel.

Date: March 23, 2008; December 11, 2009 and April 2, 2010.

5. The 'Tombs of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus' (1st Century AD)

According to the Gospel of Mathew, Joseph of Arimathea offered his own tomb to Jesus: "And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed" (27:59-60). As per tradition, both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who had arranged the burial of  Jesus was later interred in these tombs, not far from the tomb of their master.

These first-century tombs preserved inside the Church of Holy Sepulcher indicate that the place was used as a burial area at the time of Jesus. Since New Testament (Hebrew 13:12) says Golgotha was outside the walls of Jerusalem and Jews always buried their dead outside the city, these tombs could validate the authenticity of the Church of Holy Sepulcher's claim of being the traditional crucifixion site.

Location: Look for the Syriac Orthodox Chapel of St Joseph of Arimathea and St Nicodemus, a dark and dilapidated room back (west) to the edicule (traditional Tomb of Jesus Christ) and opposite to the Coptic Chapel. The tombs are on the far side of the chapel and usually lit with candles inside.

Date: March 23, 2008; December 11, 2009 and April 2, 2010.

4. The Tomb of Pharoah's Daughter (9th-7th Century BC)

One of the most complete tombs from the First Temple Period. Mistakenly identified as the tomb of King Solomon's wife, the daughter of Pharoah (1 Kings 3:1, 9:16). The tomb was hewn out of a single rock (monolith) and originally had a pyramid shaped roof top which was destroyed in the Roman era. There was an ancient Hebrew inscription in the upper left corner of the entrance, but now only two letters remain. 

Location: Opposite to the City of David, in the Israeli-Arab village of Silwan.

Accessibility: Lies in a highly neglected state and not a friendly atmosphere to explore the site.  

Date: September 23, 2008 and July 24, 2009 

3. The Tomb of Nicanor (1st Century AD)

 

Nicanor was a wealthy Alexandrian Jew from Second Temple Period who donated the famous Eastern Gate of Jerusalem Temple. Known as the 'Nicanor Gate', it was made of bronze and was miraculously brought to Jerusalem from Egypt. For some it is the 'Beautiful Gate' of Acts 3:2 where the lame man was  begging when Peter and John met him. The modern tombs inside belong to Zionist leaders Leon Pinsker (d. 1891) and Menachem Ussishkin (1941).

Location: The Hebrew University Botanical Garden, Mount Scopus-Jerusalem.

Date: December 11, 2009

2. The Tomb of Simeon the Just or Kever Shimon HaTzadik.

Simeon the Just was a 4th Century BC Jewish High Priest revered for his piety. The earliest documented evidence for this tomb is from 13th century AD. I am not sure if the tomb is easily accessible for tourists.

Location: The tomb is positioned in Abu Bakir-E-Sadik road between Shimon Ha Tzadik and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhoods,  East Jerusalem.

Date: September 12, 2008.

1. The Tomb of Jewish Prophetess Huldah ( 7th Cent. BC) or Christian Saint Pelagia ( 5th Cent. AD) or Sufi Mystic Rabi'a al'Adawiyya ( 8th Cent. AD)

A rare three in one tomb assigned to three women from three different religions! Interestingly, it was Christians who started first venerating the site (6th cent. AD) followed by Muslims (12th cent. AD) and finally Jews (14th cent. AD).

Location: At Rub'a El Adawiya Road on the summit of Mount of Olives between Pater Noster Church and Mosque of Ascension.

Accessibility: via special permission from caretakers of Mosque of Ascension, Mount of Olives,

Date: August 25, 2009