Siloam Tunnel

March 22nd 2011

One of the highlights of any visit to Jerusalem has to be Siloam Tunnel. This amazing feat of engineering features a 1,500 foot tunnel built in 701 BCE by King Hezekiah in an effort to protect Jerusalem’s main water source, the Gihon Spring, from the Assyrians. When you go, you should expect to get a little wet as you walk through the tunnel. All visitors are provided with a flashlight where they can see the pickaxe marks made by the builders. The whole tour takes 45 minutes to an hour to complete. If you do not want to get wet, that is okay—recent excavations located another, dryer tunnel designed for the same purpose.