Western Wall Plaza Treasures Uncovered

The IAA excavations are being carried out at the request of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, prior to the construction of the Western Wall Heritage Center. The new excavation area, about 82 x 197 feet (25 x 60 meters), dates to the time of the Second Temple.

The colonnaded street, from the Roman-Byzantine period, appears on the 6th century AD, mosaic Medaba Map in Jordan (pictured on page 9 of our last Dispatch) and is known as the Eastern Cardo or Valley Cardo. The street began at the Damascus Gate in the north and led south, running the length of the Tyropoeon Valley, west of the Temple Mount. Sections of this street were uncovered in the past in the northern part of the Old City.

Shlomi Wexler-Bdolah, the IAA director of excavations, said that for the first time the full 36-foot (11-meter) width of the original Roman road was exposed in the present excavation. “The street was paved with large flagstones that were set in place diagonally in the customary method of the Roman world, which was probably meant to prevent wagons from slipping. A drainage system was installed below the flagstones,” she said.

To the west of the street was a covered stoa (a walkway used as a public thoroughfare) 20 feet (6 meters) wide, and beyond it a row of shops whose walls were hewn in the bedrock cliff. A large base of a magnificent corner column was also exposed.

IAA spokesperson Osnat Goaz said, “In approximately the 13th or 14th century, a large public building, possibly a marketplace, was erected above the street and included a central courtyard flanked by rooms. This building continued to develop and, in a later phase, elongated halls were constructed inside the courtyard. Tanning installations that were used in the processing of dying of skins were revealed inside the halls.”

The excitement over these discoveries is mounting. The rich history of Jerusalem and its unquestionable link with the Bible and its great message continues to unfold. The phrase coined by Christian apologist Josh McDowell still rings true. This is “evidence that demands a verdict,” and the evidence is still being uncovered.

By Ron Ross, Israel Mosaic Radio, & Osnat Goaz, IAA