The City of David is one of the most essential parts of Jerusalem, bearing a wealth of finds from different periods. Since 1986, the ELAD organization has been very active in its development. One of their most significant achievements is exposing a wide-stepped street from the first century. The street enabled Jewish pilgrims to ascend, in comfort, to the Temple Mount after purifying in the Pool of Siloam. Despite the significance of the street, most of it proved to be beneath modern homes and streets, so it was dug in a very unusual way – from its side. The archaeologists exposed the entire length of the drainage channel beneath the stepped street, which proved wide enough to walk through it comfortably.

Walking Through the Channel

In 2012, the drainage channel beneath the Herodian stepped street was opened to the public. Its entrance is next to the Pool of Siloam, and it ends at the corner of the Western Wall in the Southern Wall Archaeological Park. The length of the channel is about 500 meters, and the walk through it is one of the most exciting experiences for anyone wishing to explore ancient Jerusalem.

A tour of the Herdoian Drainage Channel can be integrated with a day tour of Jerusalem.