The Burnt House – A Jewish Priests’ Mansion

In 1948, during the Israeli-Arab War, the Jordanians conquered the Jewish quarter and cleared all its Jewish population. The quarter was left in ruins for 19 years. But as a result of the Six-Day War, in 1967, Jerusalem was re-united under Israeli sovereignty.

The state of Israel strived to rebuild the Jewish quarter of its ruins as quickly as possible and resume its Jewish presence. But before it could be done, a large-scale excavation project was set. Many discoveries were made, which developed into popular tourist attractions.

The archaeological expedition uncovered the foundations of a 2,000-year-old house that burnt in an enormous conflagration. The artifacts in the destruction layer indicated the house belonged to a wealthy family, probably of Jewish priests. The finds included imported pottery and glass, a mold for minting coins, ink wells, and an inscribed stone weight reading “[of] son of Katros.” Katros was indeed the name of one of the wealthiest families of priests residing in Jerusalem at the time.

Touring the Burnt House

The Burnt House is maintained by jerusalem’s municipality. A multi-media presentations offers a possible scenario of the tragic events that led to the destruction of the house during Jewish big Rebellion in 66-70 CE.

A tour of the Burnt House can be integrated with a day tour of Jerusalem.