Hezekiah's Tunnel

The highlight of a visit to the City of David complex is Hezekiah's Tunnel, a 500m-long underground passage of waist-deep water that ends at the Pool of Siloam, where it is said that a blind man was healed after Jesus told him to wash in it. The purpose of the tunnel was to channel water flowing from the Gihon Spring, a temperamental source of water that acts like a siphon, pouring out a large quantity of water for some 30 minutes before drying up for several hours.

Gihon, appropriately, means 'gushing' and the spring is the main reason why the Jebusites settled in the valley rather than taking to the adjacent high ground. There is believed to be enough water to support a population of about 2500 people. The tunnel was constructed in about 700 BC by King Hezekiah to bring the water of the Gihon into the city and store it in the pool of Siloam. Its purpose was to prevent invaders, in particular the Assyrians, from locating the city's water supply and cutting it off (II Chronicles 32:3).

Although narrow and low in parts, you can wade through it; the water is normally about half a metre to a metre deep. Due to the siphon effect it does occasionally rise, but only by about 15cm to 20cm.

About 20m into the tunnel, the cavern turns sharply to the left, where a chest-high wall blocks another channel that leads to Warren's Shaft (this can be visited near the City of David excavations). Towards the tunnel's end the roof rises. This is because the tunnellers worked from either end and one team slightly misjudged the other's level. They had to lower the floor so that the water would flow. A Hebrew inscription was found in the tunnel, and a copy can be seen in the Israel Museum. Carved by Hezekiah's engineers, it tells of the tunnel's construction.

You enter the tunnel at the Gihon Spring source on HaShiloah Rd down in the Kidron Valley and just south of the resthouse. Turn left as you get to the foot of the hill from Warren's Shaft. The entire walk takes about 30 minutes; wear shorts, suitable footwear, and bring a torch (flashlight).