Pilgrimage Road: Walking in the Footsteps of
Ancient Worshipers

Huckabee likewise noted that those attending the ceremony were the first in two millennia to make the pilgrimage on foot from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount.

The Marketplace of Ancient Jerusalem

The Pilgrimage Road was first discovered at the Pool of Siloam, located at the base of the City of David just south of today’s Old City. Archaeologists believe it was built during the governorship of Pontius Pilate, though it was once attributed to Herod the Great. Either way, the road was completed in the very years when the Bible teaches Jesus (Yeshua) taught and healed in Jerusalem.

The stepped stone street—approximately eight meters [8 yd.] wide—was more than just a walkway. It was Jerusalem’s central marketplace. Along its length, archaeologists uncovered coins, stone weights and a measuring table, pointing to the life and bustle of commerce. Pilgrims would have bought oil, spices and animals for sacrifice as they journeyed upward to worship. It was, in essence, the local mall of its day, alive with noise, fragrance and anticipation.

Beneath the road, excavators uncovered an ancient drainage channel. During the Great Revolt against Rome, Jewish rebels and residents hid in desperation within its dark confines. There archaeologists found cooking pots, oil lamps, hundreds of coins and even a Roman sword—poignant relics of Jerusalem’s final days before its destruction in 70 CE.

Stones that Cry Out

For centuries, much of the Pilgrimage Road lay hidden beneath layers of earth and rubble. Portions were opened in earlier years, but now, after years of painstaking excavation led by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the City of David Foundation, the entire length has been revealed. Visitors today can begin at the Pool of Siloam, descend the steps where pilgrims once washed, and ascend the full length of the road to the Temple Mount.

For Christians, the significance cannot be overstated. This is not an abstract history lesson—it is a place where the Bible and archaeology converge. To tread this path today is to walk where Jesus would have walked, where His disciples and countless worshipers lifted their eyes toward the Temple. The Gospels tell us that Jesus healed a blind man at the Pool of Siloam (John 9:7). From there, He would have ascended this very road toward the Temple Mount.

Luke 19:37–40 records that as Jesus entered Jerusalem, crowds of disciples rejoiced with loud voices, praising God. When Pharisees urged Him to silence them, Jesus answered: “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out” (v. 40). On the Pilgrimage Road, the very stones cry out still—witnesses to God’s faithfulness, the endurance of His people and the reality of the biblical account. 

Why It Matters Today

The Pilgrimage Road is not simply about uncovering stones; it is about uncovering a story that continues to shape the world. For Jewish people, it testifies to their ancient and unbroken bond with Jerusalem, the city God gave to Abraham’s descendants. For Christians, it strengthens our faith by grounding it in real places and events. Jesus did not minister in myth but in history, and His footsteps can be traced on this road.

Psalm 48 celebrates Jerusalem as “the city of the great King.” To walk the Pilgrimage Road today is to step into that psalm, to glimpse the joy of ancient worshipers ascending with songs of praise, and to recognize the continuity of God’s covenant purposes. It is also to remember that the story is not finished. The prophets spoke of a future when nations would stream to Jerusalem, when the Word of the Lord would go forth from Zion (Isa. 2:3).