Last week saw the start of the digging of a tunnel for the Western Wall elevator, toward making the Kotel Plaza accessible to people with disabilities.
“This is a defining moment for the Jewish people,” said Herzl Ben Ari, CEO of the Jewish Quarter Development Company.
The elevator will bridge a vertical gap of 26 meters between the Jewish Quarter and the Kotel Plaza. As can be seen in the image above, the work involved a careful unveiling of centuries of history.
“Every meter of excavation was a journey through time,” said Ben Ari. “We discovered whole worlds: ancient mikvahs, remains of houses and streets that have not seen the light of day for thousands of years. Every stone, every piece of a vessel, told us a story about our ancestors who walked here.”
“Not only are we making the Western Wall accessible,” added Ben Ari, “we are also revealing and preserving the past. Some of the findings will be integrated into the elevator lobby so that every visitor can feel the breath of history as soon as they enter.”
All these layers of history make for very slow progress in getting the elevator project finished. “We hope to complete the project within two years,” said Ben Ari, “but every day brings new surprises. We work carefully and respectfully, with the understanding that we are not only building an elevator but also bridging two thousand years of history.”
Excavations at the site revealed a mikvah from the Second Temple period, located on the eastern slope of the western hill, in the area between the upper city and the lower city of Jerusalem. An unknown phenomenon that needs further examination is the fact that the mikvah was carved under the lower aqueduct, and it seems to have been its main source of water. The mikvah may have been part of a magnificent private home in the Herodian quarter where a family of priests most likely lived.
In addition, an aqueduct from the days of the Second Temple, a water pool built by the soldiers of the 10th Paratensis Legion, and a cistern containing about 40 cooking pots from the Temple period were unveiled.
