Congregation Ohav Sholom

Travel in Israel - Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Gihon Spring

Off the Beaten Track in Israel - Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Gihon Spring

by Michael Rosenbloom (spidermr@aol.com)

One of the most remarkable places in Israel, is Hezekiah's Tunnel in Jerusalem. The overriding emotion, I felt both times I visited the site was that I was at the center of the world. If one accepts the premise that Jerusalem is the center of the universe, then it can be argued that Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Gihon Spring are the center of Jerusalem. This is so because The Gihon Spring was once Jerusalem's main water source and without it, it is questionable whether the city would have been settled at all.

Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Gihon Spring are located in the Kidron Valley, outside the Old City walls, in the City of David (Ir David), also known by the Arabs as Silwan . The site is most easily approached from the Dung Gate (the gate closest to the Western Wall), by descending into the valley, but can also be approached by foot from East Talpiot. The East Talpiot route leads you through Arab areas filled with barking dogs.

But what is the historical significance of the site? So many sites in Israel held dear by any one of the three major religions are based on tradition or faith but are unverifiable. This is because attempting to confirm the authenticity of the site would incite such a tremendous uproar in the world, that such attempts would be halted in their tracks. Not so with Hezekiah's tunnel. Its authenticity is undeniable.

The Gihon Spring, ancient Jerusalem's main water source, was located outside the city walls during the reign of King Hezekiah (715-687 BCE). Hezekiah reigned during the time of the prophet Isiah. Recognizing the vulnerability of Jerusalem, King Hezekiah in an ingenious engineering feat had a 600 yard tunnel dug in the shape of the letter "S" to divert the waters of the Gihon Spring into the city (II Kings, 20, 20). At that time, the southeastern walls of the city were further south than where they are today. He also sealed the cave from which the waters of the Gihon sprung forth (II Chronicles 32, 30). King Hezekiah correctly realized that without a secure water source, Jerusalem couldn't withstand a long siege. Conversely, it would be difficult for a conquering army to mount a successful siege on Jerusalem if the main local water source was cut off from the conquering force. When the Assyrian ruler Sennacherib marched southward and attempted to conquer Jerusalem in the year 701 BCE, he failed, although the other cities of Judah succumbed. The Temple remained standing for another 114 years.

In the year 1880, a Hebrew inscription, six lines long was discovered in the tunnel. The inscription described how two teams of miners starting at opposite ends dug toward each other and met in the middle. The inscription, which was once longer, was removed to the Ottoman Museum in Istanbul, Turkey. It reads as follows:

"[...when] (the tunnel) was driven through. And this was the way in which it was cut through: - - while...] (were) still [...] axes (s) , each man toward his fellow, and while there were still three cubits to be cut through, [there was heard] the voice of a man calling to his fellow, for there was an overlap in the rock on the right [and on the left]. And when the tunnel was driven through, the quarrymen hewed (the rock), each man toward his fellow, axe against axe; and the water flowed from the spring toward the reservoir for 1,200 cubits and the height of the rock above the head (s) of the quarrymen was 100 cubits."

You can walk through the tunnel today. The last time I walked through the tunnel was in 1982. At the time, an elderly Arab man held the keys to the tunnel gate. You had to track him down in order to enter the tunnel. Now, there is a Jewish presence in the City of David (as the area around the tunnel and spring is called), and the entry to the tunnel is more orderly. You should bring beach shoes because the water reaches at least to your knees. Bring a flashlight or candles too. As you can imagine, this is a tour that should not be taken during the winter. It's interesting to view the chisel marks along the tunnel walls. It's a feeling of incredible excitement to be in this tunnel, this very tunnel written about in the Bible, as having saved Jerusalem from a conquering army. Walking through the tunnel is a memorable thrill. It's a walk through history, to the time of Isiah. It also offers a glimpse into what spectacular attempts were made to control the flow of water during Biblical times, in the center of universe.

Isn't it ironic that even today, the accessibility to and control of water sources are still central to existence in Israel and in the Middle East at large?

July, 2000

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