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Wednesday, December 14, 2022
We booked a tour of The City of David. Our group consisted of about 15 people. All spoke English except a family from Brazil. The father did a simultaneous translation as we went along. Tickets cost about $17.00 per person. It is less if you wander about by yourself. Credit cards are accepted.
The tour starts out with some background information regarding King David and then moves on to a high viewing platform with views of the surrounding area. From there we talked about how the city was found and why it was built there. Since we were early we heard another tour guide give an explanation of these things and his explanation differed slightly from what our tour guide said. It was interesting to try to piece together a coherent story.
Sometime in the 1860s Sir Charles Warren was commissioned by Queen Victoria to perform Biblical Archeology in Palestine. One story says that he wished to excavate the Temple Mount but the Ottomans would not permit it so he decided to dig nearby instead. Another story says that he realized that there were a bunch of tombs along the bottom of the Kidron Valley. Since cemeteries in ancient times were always outside of the city walls it gave him a clue as to where to explore. In any event he started digging on a hill to the South of the Old City and found The City of David.
King David, who according to the Bible was the third King of Israel, was from the tribe of Benjamin. He decided to build his city in a neutral location to help promote the unification of his people. The location he chose sat astride the Tribes of Benjamin and Judah. Why was this particular location chosen? Because it was situated near the Gihon Spring, which could provide a good supply of water to the city. A fortress was built around the spring to help insure that their water supply would be secure in the future.
Our guide asked us to take a good look around. Then she quoted from the Bible saying that the city was safely located between four mountains. To the North is Mount Moriah (The Temple Mount), to the South is the Mount of Olives, to the East are the Judaean Mountains and to the West is Mount Zion. She said that you couldn’t make this statement if The City of David had been located in the Old City as most people had believed.
The ancient City of David had been utterly destroyed so there wasn’t a lot to see. One of the interior areas was likely the royal quarters. This assumption was based on a capital that was found there. It matched the description of a gift to the King from the kingdom of Assyria.
Outside there were a number of rooms. In one a great deal of ash was found along with dozens of clay seals. This room was likely the administrative center of the complex. The large amount of ashes suggests that the many scrolls stored there were burned. From the seals, which only grew stronger in the flames, we know the names of many of the correspondents. These include names that can be found in the Bible. Another room is supposed to have belonged to a rich person because it contained an indoor toilet. Analysis of the resulting organic material has shed light on the diet and health of the inhabitants.
The rest of the tour revolves once again around the water system. The story goes that the 8th Century BC King Hezekiah was worried about the Assyrians rampaging through Israel. He had a plan to safeguard the city’s water supply and deny water to the attackers. The King had his people divert the water supply into the city by building a tunnel that was 1,748 feet long (almost six football fields in length!). It was a massive undertaking. The tunnel would have to be cut out of solid bedrock. To quicken the pace of the project he had his people start from opposite ends of the tunnel. Without modern machinery or even simple compasses how would the two ends meet? Initially the tunnels were cut as straight as possible. To insure that they would meet up the builders added s-curves near the midpoint. Very simple, very clever, and very effective. The water then collected inside the city’s walls in the Pool of Siloam.
According to the Bible the Assyrians finally did arrive to lay siege to the city. Sometime during the first night an Angel came and killed all 160,000 of them.
For the rest of the tour we descended through a vast system of tunnels below the city. Eventually we came to the tunnels of King Hezekiah. They are still being fed fresh water from the Gihon Spring. We had the option to walk through the wet tunnel or walk through some dry tunnels. Only two of us walked through the wet tunnel.
A sign near the visitor’s center indicated that the water was a constant 69°F and was almost waist high to an adult. The website says that they sell boots but in fact all they had was diver’s shoes. They wouldn’t be much help.
The tunnel is completely dark. The woman in front of me, Cara from Seattle, had a flashlight. I used my iPhone. Initially the water was about thigh high but it quickly came up to almost my waist. The tunnel was also quite narrow. We had to walk sideways at times to get by. I left quite a bit of skin in that tunnel. At times the ceiling was very high and at times I had to duck down for dozens of yards at a time to get through. Most of the time the water was a little more than ankle high. Sloshing through all that water for 1,748 feet was quite tiring. It was like doing water-aerobics with wet pants and wet shoes. The entire way through we were looking for indications where the two tunnels met. We saw several likely places but were never quite sure we located the exact spot. The trek took about 25 minutes. When we finally got to the end our guide, and the rest of our group, were waiting with worried looks. We got a round of applause for our efforts.
The last stop was the Pool of Siloam. Until a few years ago they thought that the pool was in a different location within the city but when a municipal pipe burst the engineers started digging in the area and found the remains of the actual location. Only part of the pool was uncovered because the other part is across the street on a private property owned by a Christian religious order. The entire pool may never be completely uncovered.
Thursday, December 15 2022
We got an early start. We booked a tour that would take us to Masada, Ein Gedi, and The Dead Sea. We met the bus at 7:45 near the Old City. The tour cost $69.00 per person but didn’t include entry to any of the three parks.
The trip was a bust from the start. The bus was 15 minutes late and the air conditioning wasn’t working. I asked the guide if he could turn it up and he replied that it was working. He said, “It’s very hot outside”. After several other people complained he announced that the air conditioner wasn’t working and that they’d try to fix it. In the mean time it was blowing hot air and it was suffocatingly hot inside.
After only 35 minutes the bus stopped at a rest stop for a bio break and snacks. After we got back on the bus it traveled 30 minutes in the wrong direction. It stopped at The Dead Sea and let a single passenger off. That certainly wasn’t on the schedule. We got to Masada substantially later than expected. We had lost over an hour.
Tickets to Masada cost $22.00 per person, which included the use of the cable car. Credit cards are accepted. If you want to save some money you can walk to the top by the ancient Snake Path. The 4,000 foot ascent is said to take only one hour. We saw a ten minute film before boarding the cable car.
Once on top we had an abbreviated tour of the site. Most of our time was spent talking about Herod’s three palaces. In less than 30 minutes we were on our way back down. Once at the bottom our guide announced that we would have a 35 minute break to check out the gift shop and get some snacks. Not happy at all.
The story of Masada is an interesting one and there is a lot (more) for visitors to see. Herod the Great was appointed King of Judea by the Romans in the first Century BC. He wasn’t a popular ruler but is well known for his extensive construction projects including the renovation of the Second Temple and the port of Caesarea.
Herod build several retreats in remote places just in case he needed to hideout in the event of civic uprisings. One of the most well known was located high on an isolated plateau in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea. It was called Masada, which translates as Fortress or Castle. In 66 AD the Jews revolted against their Roman oppressors. By 70 AD the Romans had won. As a punishment they completely destroyed the city of Jerusalem. A group of almost 1,000 Jews escaped to Masada. They were hoping that given their small number and their remote location that the Romans would simply ignore them. They were wrong.
Sometime around 73 or 74 AD the Romans came to Masada. They built camps all around the mountain and even built a wall to insure that the Jews wouldn’t attempt to escape. Assaulting the mountainous retreat was a difficult proposition. Over the course of four months the Romans built a large ramp onto which they placed their siege equipment. The Jews reinforced the targeted gate with large wooden timbers. Once the Romans had their equipment in place the Jews set it on fire. Their plan was working until the wind shifted and instead burned the gate to the city. By nightfall the Romans had broken through. Instead of ransacking the city immediately they decided to get some rest and come back the next day.
During that night the Jews discussed what would be happening in the coming day. They knew that they were vastly outnumbered by the Romans. In all likelihood the survivors would be abused and enslaved. Rather than submit to that they decided to kill themselves and set the fortress ablaze. Each man killed his own family. Ten men were selected to kill the remaining men and then they drew ballots. The “winner” would kill the last nine men and then commit suicide. When the Romans arrived the next day they were shocked to see that all the inhabitants were dead.
After Masada we drove over to Ein Gedi, the largest oasis in the area. The only oases we’ve ever seen were in cartoons. They usually consist of a small pond surrounded by palm trees. This one didn’t look anything like that. Like Masada, Ein Gedi is a National Park. It’s also a very popular weekend activity. Entry cost about $8.25 per person. Credit cards are accepted.
When we entered we saw a typical high desert landscape. There were clumps of trees here and there but most everything was just bleached rock. As we walked along we started to hear the sound of running water. There was a stream far down below. Soon we came to a small pool that was fed by a lovely little waterfall. We stopped and took a bunch of pictures before embarking on one of the fairly rugged trails.
The rather rocky trail ascended up the mountain side. Our trail followed a stream with several small waterfalls. Eventually we came to a series of rather low caves each of which extended about 20 feet. Footing was a little tricky on the wet rocks.
Finally we came to another pool that was fed by a much larger waterfall. This was The King David Waterfall. The water was clean and cool. We took off our shoes and walked over the rocky bottom. We took turns taking selfies near the falls. It was very refreshing. We continued on. The trail looped and we eventually came back to the place where we started.
Our last stop of the day was The Kalia Beach Resort at the Dead Sea. Entry cost about $10.00 per person. This included beach chairs, an umbrella, showers, and towels. Credit cards are accepted. The facility includes a spa specializing in Dead Sea products. At over 1,400 feet below sea level the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth.
The beach is quite a ways from the entry point. In fact there is a lifeguard station that was built in 2002. A signs says that at that time the beach was just 18 feet away. Now it’s several hundred feet away. The Dead Sea is dying. It has been losing massive amounts of water every year. Why is this happening? Increased demand from its main source (The Sea of Galilee) and Climate Change account for the bulk of the problem. If nothing is done the Dead Sea will completely disappear in our lifetimes.
Unlike some we didn’t bring our bathing suits so we just removed our shoes and socks and waded about. Given the receding waters you might expect the beach to be made up mostly of salt crystals – but it’s not. It’s muddy and rocky. In fact, Dead Sea mud is considered to be therapeutic. Most people at the beach roll around in the shallows to cover themselves with mud. It’s very amusing to watch.
After we rinsed ourselves with fresh water we walked back up to the entry area. There were several pubs and a large number of shops selling Dead Sea products. You can buy many different kinds of bath salts, packages of mud, all sorts of creams as well as the usual souvenirs. We had a good time checking things out.
Friday, December 16, 2022
Our last full day in Jerusalem was also a short one. By 2:00 pm the entire city pretty much shuts down. We booked (what we thought) was a tour of the Western Wall Tunnels. It turns out that we booked a VR experience. We attended the short VR film and then went on the tunnel expedition.
The VR experience was actually quite interesting. It relayed a history of the second temple and described the various sections. It was all accompanied by a Virtual Reality presentation. We could spin in our chairs to see different parts of the presentation. The best part was the vivid reproduction of the temple itself. It was quite something to see.
Until the 1967 Six Day War much of Jerusalem was controlled by Jordan. Subsequently The State of Israel has been conducting extensive and ongoing archeological excavations. Given that the Temple Mount is effectively controlled by the Muslims it is not possible to excavate there but excavations elsewhere are possible. The Western Wall that we can see if just a small part of the entire wall that enclosed that side of the temple. Starting in the 1980s a tunnel was built along the base of the wall that extends almost the entire length. The tour takes you down to that tunnel where you can see the foundation stones.
One of the more interesting things to see is Warren’s Gate. Found in 1867 is named after the same archeologist who found The City of David. It was the main entrance to the Old City during the second temple period. During the early Muslim period (638-1099) a synagogue stood there. It was the closest place to the Holy of Holies where Jews could pray during that time period.
Other things of interest included some stones that were partially quarried, an old street from the second temple period, and a large (at the time dry) moat that protected the city.
Our last stop for the day was The Tower of David. It’s a citadel whose roots go back to the Hasmonean Period (the time of the Macabees). It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries. Walls have been found that date back to the first temple period.
The space is now a museum. When we went most of the interior rooms were closed for renovations. We started by walking down to see some Herodian pools and then ascended to the parapets of the walls. There were a few museum displays around the parapets but it wasn’t clear if we were allowed to do the entire walk. We did the walk. There are great views of all of Jerusalem from every angle. Periodically there were signs that described different phases of Jerusalem’s history. It was actually pretty interesting. The problem was that the path left us off at the opposite end of the city. We probably weren’t supposed to do the entire walk.
We re-entered the museum through the main entrance again. The interior space is all ruins that mostly date from the Byzantine period. One of the buildings was The Kishle. Excavations there found walls from the first temple period, The Herodian period, Ottoman period, and the British period. This building was used as a prison during the Ottoman and British periods. The entire complex was reportedly the site of King Herod’s magnificent palace. No trace of the palace can be seen.
For lunch we stopped at the Mahane Yehuda Market. There was one thing we’ve been dying to try. They make fresh Kunefe at several stands. We got one covered with chocolate, vanilla, and Nutella topped with vanilla ice cream. It was incredibly sweet and was the best one we’ve ever had.
Saturday, December 17, 2022
Necessity caused us to cut our trip to Israel short and cancel the rest of our plans. Today we made preparations for our return back to the United States. We have an 11:15 pm out of Tel-Aviv. About 13 hours later we will land in Miami. After a ten and half hour layover we’ll be on a six hour flight back to Las Vegas. We’re not really looking forward to it.