These excavations, known also as the Southern wall excavations, expose the area to the south of the Temple mount. Included in the excavations are the southern corner of the western wall. Prior to 1967, none of this area was visible as the detritus, or the dust of the ages, had piled high along this corner of the Temple mount. Excavations took place here from February 1968 into the early 1980s, and were renewed, albeit on a smaller scale combined with a massive restoration program in 1995/96.

When the Romans destroyed the Temple mount in the 70 CE, they tossed the top half of the walls surrounding the Mount into the valleys below. The Valley, which separated the Upper City of Jerusalem with the Temple Mount, filled with the debris, causing the Temple mount - certainly the walls surrounding her to look leveled! Today, we know that the bottom half of the Western and Eastern walls remain intact IN THEIR ENTIRETY!

Today, it is possible to stand beneath the remains of a monumental staircase which allowed access from the city onto the Temple Mount above. We call this overpass, the first of its kind in the ancient world, Robinson's Arch. It's named for the 19th century archaeologist/cleric who determined it was the "bridge" referred to by Josephus connecting the Upper City with The Mount. Additionally, one can see and actually walk on the original street pavement which ran parallel to the Western Wall in its entirety. Visible as well, are the remains of the many shops or stalls which provided visitors and residents with their marketplace. On the street, the stones tossed over by the Romans 200 years ago, remain piled as they fell on that fateful day of Tisha b'Av, the 9th of Av. During the dig, below at the southwestern corner, the archaeologists uncovered unique shaped stones; clearly having fallen from the top of the southwest corner. Included on one of the stones was a Hebrew inscription. Legible today as it was 2000 years ago! It says, libeit hatikiot l......, to the place of trumpeting, to, or for......... Both the Talmud and Josephus' description help decipher this riddle. Every Erev Shabbat, Friday afternoon, a cohen, priest, would ascend to this spot and blast a trumpet 6 times to herald the arrival of Shabbat, the Sabbath, and again on Sat night to announce the end of Shabbat!

Along the length of the Southern wall, it is possible to see and even ascend along the original staircase allowing entry and exit to the Hulda gates; triple for entry and double for exit. This staircase is located OUTSIDE of today's Old City walls. This is because the Crusaders, followed by the Turks, did not enclose the entire Southern wall of the Temple mount inside the Old city walls. Approximately halfway across, the southern city wall turns at a 90° angle into the southern temple mount wall. The addition of a massive tower built where the two walls meet effectively blocks the double gates.

THE OLD CITY

Ancient Jerusalem
The Western Wall
The Herodian Quarter
The Cardo
The Citadel
Ophel Excavations
Broad Wall
Burnt House
Western Wall Tunnels

Synagogues
The Ramban Synagogue
The Hurva Synagogue
The 4 Sephardic Synagogues
The Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue