Siloam tunnel

Hezekiah's tunnel Hezekiah's Tunnel , or the Siloam Tunnel is a tunnel that was dug underneath the Ophel in Jerusalem before 701 BC during the reign of Hezekiah . It is mentioned in the Bible . The tunnel has been securely dated both by the written inscription and by dating organic matter contained in the original plastering. It is one of the few intact, 8th century BC structures in the world that the public can not only visit, but enter and walk through. The tunnel, leading from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam , was designed to act as an aqueduct to provide Jerusalem with water during an impending siege by the Assyrians , led by Sennacherib . The curving tunnel is 533 m long, and by using a 30 cm (0.6%) gradient altitude difference between each end, conveyed water along its length from the spring to the pool. According to an inscription (the Siloam inscription ) found within it, the tunnel was excavated by two teams, one starting at each end of the tunnel and then meeting in the middle. The inscription is partly unreadable at present, and may originally have conveyed more information than this. It is clear from the tunnel itself that several directional errors were made during its construction . Recent scholarship has discredited the idea that that the tunnel may have been formed by substantially widening a pre-existing natural karst . The difficult feat of making two teams digging from opposite ends meet far underground is now understood to have been accomplished by directing the two teams from above using sounds generated by hammering on the solid karst through which the tunnelers were digging.

1884 sketch of the tunnel, by Charles Warren and Claude Reignier Conder , showing the tunnel as well as Warren's Shaft , the Pool of Siloam and the Fountain of the Virgin . The Siloam Tunnel ( , Nikbat HaShiloah ), also known as Hezekiah's Tunnel , is a tunnel that was dug underneath the City of David in Jerusalem in ancient times. Its popular name is due to the most common hypothesis of its origin, namely that it dates from the reign of Hezekiah of Judah (late 8th and early 7th century BCE) and corresponds to the waterworks mentioned in 2 Kings 20:20 in the Bible . According to the Bible, King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians , by "blocking the source of the waters of the upper Gihon , and leading them straight down on the west to the City of David" ( 2 Chronicles 32 ). Support for the dating to Hezekiah's period is derived from the Biblical text that describes construction of a tunnel and to radiocarbon dates of organic matter contained in the original plastering. However, the dates were challenged in 2011 by new excavations that suggested an origin in the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. The tunnel, leading from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam , was designed as an aqueduct to provide Jerusalem with water during an impending siege by the Assyrians , led by Sennacherib . The curving tunnel is 533 m long, and by using a 30 cm (0.6‰) gradient altitude difference between each end, conveyed water along its length from the spring to the pool. According to the Siloam inscription , the tunnel was excavated by two teams, one starting at each end of the tunnel and then meeting in the middle. The inscription is partly unreadable at present, and may originally have conveyed more information than this. It is clear from the tunnel itself that several directional errors were made during its construction. Recent scholarship has discredited the idea that the tunnel may have been formed by substantially widening a pre-existing natural karst . The difficult feat of making two teams digging from opposite ends meet far underground is now understood to have been accomplished by directing the two teams from above using sounds generated by hammering on the solid karst through which the tunnelers were digging. Hezekiah in History and Tradition . Image of exit Holy Land Photos Image Images of some mistakes - [1] [2]

1884 sketch of the tunnel, by Charles Warren and Claude Reignier Conder , showing the tunnel as well as Warren's Shaft , the Pool of Siloam and the Fountain of the Virgin . The Siloam Tunnel ( , Nikbat HaShiloah ), also known as Hezekiah's Tunnel , is a water channel that was carved beneath the City of David , located in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan in eastern Jerusalem , in ancient times. Its popular name is due to the most common hypothesis that it dates from the reign of Hezekiah of Judah (late 8th and early 7th century BC) and corresponds to the "water works" mentioned in 2 Kings 20:20 in the Hebrew Bible . According to the Bible, King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians , by "blocking the source of the waters of the upper Gihon , and leading them straight down on the west to the City of David" ( 2 Chronicles 32 ). Support for the dating to Hezekiah's period is derived from the Biblical text that describes construction of a tunnel and to radiocarbon dates of organic matter contained in the original plastering. However, the dates were challenged in 2011 by new excavations that suggested an earlier origin in the late 9th or early 8th century BC. The tunnel leads from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam . If indeed built under Hezekiah, it dates to a time when Jerusalem was preparing for an impending siege by the Assyrians, led by Sennacherib . Since the Gihon Spring was already protected by a massive tower and was included in the city's defensive wall system, Jerusalem seems to have been supplied with enough water in case of siege even without this tunnel. According to Ahron Horovitz, director of the Megalim Institute, the tunnel can be interpreted as an additional aqueduct designed for keeping the entire outflow of the spring inside the walled area, which included the downstream Pool of Siloam, with the specific purpose of withholding water from any besieging forces. Both the spring itself, and the pool at the end of the tunnel, would have been used by the inhabitants as water sources. Troops positioned outside the walls wouldn't have reached any of it, because even the overflow water released from the Pool of Siloam would have fully disappeared into a karstic system located right outside the southern tip of the city walls. In contrast to that, the previous water system did release all the water not used by the city population into the Kidron Valley to the east, where besieging troops could have taken advantage of it. The curving tunnel is 583 yards (533 m) long and by using the 12 inch (30 cm) altitude difference between its two ends, which corresponds to a 0.06 percent gradient, the engineers managed to convey the water from the spring to the pool. According to the Siloam inscription , the tunnel was excavated by two teams, one starting at each end of the tunnel and then meeting in the middle. The inscription is partly unreadable at present, and may originally have conveyed more information than this. It is clear from the tunnel itself that several directional errors were made during its construction. Recent scholarship has discredited the idea that the tunnel may have been formed by substantially widening a pre-existing natural karst . How the Israelite engineers dealt with the difficult feat of making two teams digging from opposite ends meet far underground is still not fully understood, but some suggest that the two teams were directed from above by sound signals generated by hammering on the solid rock through which the tunnelers were digging. Hezekiah in History and Tradition . Image of exit Holy Land Photos Image Images of some mistakes - [1] [2]

Ancient water channel in Jerusalem 1884 sketch of the tunnel, by Charles Warren and Claude Reignier Conder , showing the tunnel as well as Warren's Shaft , the Pool of Siloam and the Fountain of the Virgin . The newer Siloam Tunnel ( , Nikbat HaShiloaḥ ), also known as Hezekiah's Tunnel ( , Te'alát Ḥizkiyáhu ), is a water tunnel that was carved within the City of David in ancient times, now located in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan in eastern Jerusalem . Its popular name is due to the most common hypothesis that it dates from the reign of Hezekiah of Judah (late 8th and early 7th century BC) and corresponds to the "conduit" mentioned in 2 Kings 20:20 in the Hebrew Bible . According to the Bible, King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians , by "blocking the source of the waters of the upper Gihon , and leading them straight down on the west to the City of David" ( 2 Chronicles 32:30 ). By diverting the waters of the Gihon, he prevented the enemy forces under Sennacherib from having access to water. Support for the dating to Hezekiah's period is derived from the Biblical text that describes construction of a tunnel and to radiocarbon dates of organic matter contained in the original plastering. However, the dates were challenged in 2011 by new excavations that suggested an earlier origin in the late 9th or early 8th century BC. The tunnel leads from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam . If indeed built under Hezekiah, it dates to a time when Jerusalem was preparing for an impending siege by the Assyrians, led by Sennacherib . Since the Gihon Spring was already protected by a massive tower and was included in the city's defensive wall system, Jerusalem seems to have been supplied with enough water in case of siege even without this tunnel. According to Aharon Horovitz, director of the Megalim Institute, the tunnel can be interpreted as an additional aqueduct designed for keeping the entire outflow of the spring inside the walled area, which included the downstream Pool of Siloam, with the specific purpose of withholding water from any besieging forces. Both the spring itself, and the pool at the end of the tunnel, would have been used by the inhabitants as water sources. Troops positioned outside the walls wouldn't have reached any of it, because even the overflow water released from the Pool of Siloam would have fully disappeared into a karstic system located right outside the southern tip of the city walls. In contrast to that, the previous water system did release all the water not used by the city population into the Kidron Valley to the east, where besieging troops could have taken advantage of it. The curving tunnel is 583 yards (533 m; about 1 ⁄ 3 mile) long and by using the 12 inch (30 cm) altitude difference between its two ends, which corresponds to a 0.06 percent gradient, the engineers managed to convey the water from the spring to the pool. According to the Siloam inscription , the tunnel was excavated by two teams, one starting at each end of the tunnel and then meeting in the middle. The inscription is partly unreadable at present, and may originally have conveyed more information than this. It is clear from the tunnel itself that several directional errors were made during its construction. Recent scholarship has discredited the idea that the tunnel may have been formed by substantially widening a pre-existing natural karst . How the Israelite engineers dealt with the difficult feat of making two teams digging from opposite ends meet far underground is still not fully understood, but some suggest that the two teams were directed from above by sound signals generated by hammering on the solid rock through which the tunnelers were digging. Hezekiah in History and Tradition . Image of exit Holy Land Photos Image Images of some mistakes - [1] [2]