Day 10 Part 5 Underground!

The relief from the heat is immediate as we descend down the steep ladder stairs.  It is quite agreeable below ground being about fifteen degrees cooler.  

Our eyes adjust quickly to the dimmer light which is provided by some make-shift power lines with light bulbs attached to the stone ceiling.  

It is very clear that this is still a very active archaeological site.  Very near the ladder on which we are descending into the dig are metal gates with locks on them with signs in Hebrew / Arab that clearly are warning us to stay out of that area.  

It only makes one wonder what could be so important.  If one were to access that area, it would quickly take you to the area below the "Wailing Wall" portion of the western wall of the temple mount.  Hmmm...

We assemble in a round room with a high ceiling.  We are about 40 feet underground.  

In the center of the ceiling is a square hole.  If you look up into it, you can see the blue sky above.  The curved walls of this room are very smooth and each end has a rough entrance / exit.  It is explained that this was once a cistern. The square hole is where they would lower their water jars down to fill them with water.  When the cisterns were not needed any longer they broke into the with the tunnels to provide a passage way.  There is a series of these cistern / passageways as we walk down the passage.

The history of this area is more than fascinating.  Jews hid in these passage ways when the Romans sacked Jerusalem.  When walking away from the Wailing Wall area the passage way clearly descends downhill.  

Eli, our Israeli archaeologist guide tells us that this very underground passage way ends at the Pool of Siloam we were at only a few days ago.  When Eli discovered the Pool of Siloam, they uncovered the lower entrance to this passageway which had been unknown and sealed off for centuries.  Inside the passage way they found cooking pots and personal possessions of the Jews who tried to hide from the Romans during the destruction of Jerusalem.  This is almost more than I can stand.  How exciting to find such things.  One can only wonder what fate the owners of those artifacts met.  

The passageway was the means by which the pilgrim Jew to Jerusalem would take to the Temple Mount after being purified in the Pool of Siloam.  This way they would avoid being defiled by Gentiles or other things on their way.  Originally, the passage way was a small valley that was on the west side of the City of David.  Over time, it was bridged to allow people to cross over the little valley without having to climb down and then up again to get across.  Eventually the entirety of the valley was covered over creating this underground passage way.  

Our group begins the southward descent underground.  We see below level stones of the temple mount walls that are just as impressive as those above ground.  There are places where it is obvious they are actively digging next to those stones.  

The little paper prayers are stuffed in around the cracks of the stones even here here as they are at the Wailing Wall.  The passageway meanders left and right and back again.  The floor is a bit uneven but very smooth stone.  How many Jews have walked exactly where I am walking?  

Even down below here we have our little blue receivers on so we can hear the running commentary of our guides.  They have a particular destination in mind for us to see down here.  I can't imagine what it could be.  We walk for what feels is quite a ways, hard to tell since we are underground.  The line we are walking in stops and we listen to what our guides are telling us up ahead.  Eli, has identified the very stone of the corner of the temple mount walls.  It juts out into the passage way which makes a dogleg around it.  

We all await our turn to get our pictures taken as we stand beside it.  This takes some time but that's OK as it is quite cool and agreeable to me down here.  

I eventually take my place as I grasp the corner of this great stone.  Since I am now the first one in the entire line, I can look down the passage way ahead of me as it continues it meandering downhill into the distance.  I want to breakaway and run down the passage and emerge at the Pool of Siloam.  Wouldn't it be awesome to have traveled the entire length of the passage?  I can hardly restrain myself.

Indiana Jolie and I take our pictures and then head back to where we began moving against the line of those awaiting to take their pictures by the corner stone.  I am in no hurry to get out of here and instead of feeling claustrophobic in tight quarters underground I feel quite good.  

What I am not looking forward to is the hot, dry air we will return to when we climb the ladder out of here.

We arrive at the place where the ladder will return us back to the terrestrial level just in time to see three of our guides, Eli, Marc Turnage and his wife, Amy unlock and enter the forbidden gate!  Eli obviously has a key!  We are told we cannot go with them and the door is locked behind them.  We are told that this area is highly sensitive to the Arabs and should they find out what Eli has found behind that locked gate that there could very well cause some problems.  The Arabs are very adamant about quashing any evidence of Jewish connection to the Temple Mount.  They would riot if there was found Jewish  artifacts showing Jewish heritage of the Temple Mount.  Our imaginations run wild.  What could possibly be so important back there.  Our eyes strain to see but it is too dark and twisty.  

I decide I will wait in the underground until our guides return.  Maybe they will whisper what they have seen to us.  Others returning from the cornerstone ascend the ladder back up to the surface.  I like where I am.  

After some time, our guides reappear with coy smiles on their faces.  They will not reveal what they have seen other than to say, "it is amazing."  Eli, tells us that were he to reveal what they have found that it would be very possible that we would be on the evening news that night.  And not in a good way.

With our leaders back, we all ascend the ladder.  In reverse from when we came down, the air become warmer and warmer until it is hot and muggy as we emerge from below.  I want to turn back and stay but we have the end of our day close at hand.  The heat of the day is probably at its high point with the sun heating up the stones of the southern wall and the heat reflecting back upon us.  I am withering.

We continue to walk along the southern wall until we approach the broad steps that ascend to the southern wall itself.  Here we assemble again to hear about Acts chapter 2.