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Hezekiah's Tunnel

2 Kings 20:20 says, “ The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah, all his power, how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?”

2 Chronicles 32:2-4 “When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and intended to fight against Jerusalem, he planned with his officers and his warriors to stop the flow of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him. A great many people were gathered, and they stopped all the springs and the wadi that flowed through the land, saying, “Why should the Assyrian kings come and find water in abundance?”

Hezekiah’s Tunnel is also called the Siloam Tunnel, and is located in the City of David.

In the ancient times, the Gihon Spring was the only water source in Jerusalem. It was located in the valley outside the city wall. In approximately 1,800 BCE, the Jebusites built fortification walls to protect the Gihon Spring. Around 701 BCE, King Hezekiah built the tunnel to provide a secure water supply during the siege by the Assyrian forces of Sennacherib ( 2 Chronicles 32:2-4 and 2 Kings 20:20). This water system is a complex of rock-cut tunnels, having required qualified professionals to construct it.

The tunnel was excavated by two teams; each team was at each end of the tunnel and then they met in the middle. It is still a mystery how these two teams of professionals calculated precisely to meet from opposite ends far underground.

Entrance

It is located in the City of David.

Projected Show

Projection showed the spring valley view of the ancient Jerusalem. Water source was from the Gihon Spring waters – it was the main source of water for the city of Jerusalem for many centuries.

Projected Show II

Projection showed the fortification walls which were built by the Jebusites. A pool was surrounded by the fortification walls and replenished by the Gihon Spring waters.

Fortification wall

This is the view of the fortification walls and the foundations of the Spring Tower, which surrounded the Gihon Spring. These large stones weigh several tons each.

water shaft System

A detailed description of how this Water Shaft System was constructed.

Two-way exits

There are two ways to exit the Spring. One is a dry route, which is the Canaanite Tunnel. This is the shorter route, which only took 10-15 minutes to walk. Another one is a wet route, which is Hezekiah’s Tunnel. This is a longer route, which takes about 30-40 minutes to complete.

going down

The tunnel is 130 feet below the surface of the ground in the City of David.

spring water

The spring water is cold and the current is rapid most of the time.

water level

If you take the wet route, the water level sometimes reaches to your thighs.

Exit

The “wet route” exit is located at the “Pool of Silwan” which was built about 5th-6th century CE.

Outside Exit

This is an outside wall near the dry route exit (the Pool of Siloam), the eastern slope of the City of David, and the southwest corner of the Temple Mount.

This 8th century BCE wall was rebuilt with the small stones above the 18th century BCE wall. The archaeologists suggest that it was rebuilt by King Hezekiah to protect from the invasion of the Assyrian, Sennacherib (2 Chronicles 32:6).

map

The route starts from number “5” in the CIty of David and exits at either number “8” or “9”.