We have people come to Israel over and over again and others will ask them “how can you go back again? Haven’t you seen it all?” The answer to that is you can never see everything because new things are discovered and made available to the public every day!
The newest and most exciting new location is the “Pilgrim Road”, the ancient road that was discovered in 2004 when a sewage pipe broke and it revealed the biblical “Pool of Siloam”. They then discovered a road that led directly from the pool to the Temple Mount.
This revealed an amazing portal to the past and how they lived. Pilgrims would ritually clean themselves in the pool and then take the road directly to the Temple to worship for the High Holy Days (Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot).
Israel has been working for some time now to make the path a safe and enjoyable walk for visitors to experience ancient culture for themselves. Along with investment by the Israeli government, private donors such as Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, Oracle founder Larry Ellison and WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum.
Two-thousand years ago, there would have been thousands of people making their way to the Temple on this road. You would have seen vendors selling food and goods along the way. There are platforms with stairs along the walls that people would have made announcements from as people passed by. All along the road, evidence of the Jewish revolt still stands as ash from burning is still present and thousands of coins that say “Free Zion” have been found.
The road is part of the City of David Archeological Park, where discoveries of biblical Israel are found often, including Hezekiah’s Tunnel, a Roman sword and many coins, jewelry and even inscriptions of biblical figures.
City of David is often a favorite location for many on their own pilgrimage, and this new portion will no doubt be another reason to love the location where Jerusalem is “shaking off her dust”. When will you next, or for the first time, visit this amazing location where the Bible comes to life every day!
