EXPLORING ANCIENT JERUSALEM
Stephen Kramer
Jewish Times of Southern New Jersey
August 21, 2009
The Western Wall . . . is a remnant of the western retaining wall of
the Temple Mount, which was conceived by King David and built by his
son, King Solomon . . .
Jerusalem is a treasure trove of exciting experiences for those
interested in the history of monotheism, the Jewish people, the Middle
East, and contemporary culture. During a recent visit to this globally
significant city, my wife and I explored two sites that pertain to
Jerusalem’s ancient history and its impact on contemporary Jews. The
first on our list was the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum, close
to the Old City walls in East Jerusalem.
Built in the 1930s outside of the northeast corner of the Old City,
the Rockefeller Museum was then strictly a British project. Having
gathered a collection of wonderful archaeological finds dating from
prehistoric times to the Ottoman period which ended in 1917, the
British set about finding a benefactor to fund the first archaeological
museum in Palestine. They turned to the American philanthropist John
D. Rockefeller, Jr. for the initial funding. Rockefeller donated
two million dollars, an enormous sum for the era, to build what was
officially named the Palestine Archaeological Museum (but was commonly
called the Rockefeller Museum).
The Western Wall
The museum is a standout example of the fusion of Western and Oriental
(Muslim) architectural traditions, with modern innovations. It
was designed by the architect Austen St. Barbe Harrison, who had
previously been employed by the government of Greece to design and
renovate buildings in Macedonia, where he studied Byzantine and Islamic
architecture. Appointed Chief Architect of the Mandatory Department
of Public Works in 1922, Harrison built numerous public buildings in
Jerusalem. The museum was completed in 1938.
During the period Jordan occupied East Jerusalem (1948- 1967), King
Hussein nationalized the museum, which had heretofore been run by
an international board of trustees. Israel gained control of all of
Jerusalem during the Six Day War of 1967 and affiliated the Rockefeller
Museum with the burgeoning Israel Museum. Since then, new archeological
finds have gone to the Israel Museum, a much larger facility.
There is free admission to the museum but no parking nearby. The
permanent exhibition is arranged in a chronological display of
the history of the Holy Land. The rare objects on display are
archaeological markers of Israel’s history. All of the exhibits
were discovered in the Land of Israel from the 1920s into the 1940s,
though other, temporary exhibitions dealing with a variety of subjects
can be accommodated in the Tower Hall. Harrison’s design is somewhat
old-fashioned, which is part of the museum’s charm. There are five main
rooms, including two of octagonal shape, surrounding the fantastic,
cloistered Central Court. All the rooms benefit from high windows
which provide natural lighting for the exhibits.
The museum’s most striking architectural features are the three-story
octagonal tower at the entrance and the striking blue-tiled prayer
niche facing the pool in the courtyard. The niche was designed
by Armenian artist David Ohanessian, who was originally brought
to Jerusalem to make repairs to the tile work at the Dome of
the Rock. He was the first of a wave of Armenian tile artists to
come to Jerusalem. (Their legacy is the many Armenian tile shops in
Jerusalem.) Other outstanding design features of the museum include ten
wall reliefs in the courtyard, designed by British artist Eric Gill,
representing the major civilizations that influenced the cultural
life of the region; another larger relief of Gill’s located above the
museum entrance; and elegantly engraved and painted English, Hebrew,
and Arabic inscriptions on the museum walls. It was interesting to
learn that the Jordanians hid the Hebrew inscriptions during the time
they controlled the museum. (For more information see:
net.org.il) Our next stop was the fabulous Western Wall Tunnels, the
entrance to which is adjacent to the Western Wall. This attraction
is so popular that one must book weeks ahead. The Western Wall, once
called the Wailing Wall, is a remnant of the western retaining wall
of the Temple Mount, which was conceived by King David and built by
his son, King Solomon, about 1,000 BCE. Because the First and Second
Temples were destroyed by invading armies (Babylonian and Roman,
respectively), and Muslim holy sites were built on the top of the
Temple Mount, the Western Wall is the only artifact remaining from
Temple times for Jews to venerate. As an indication of the reverence
that the site enjoys, every day people of all nationalities, races
and faiths congregate at the wall to pray, contemplate, or perhaps
just to place a written message to the Supreme Being in its cracks.
The 187-foot length of the Wall that is visible in the Western Wall
Plaza is just a fraction of the entire Wall, which is 1,600 feet in
length. There are 45 levels (courses) of stonework, 28 of them above
ground, and the remaining 17 underground! It is only since 1967, when
Israel regained control of the Old City, that Jews have had access to
the tunnels and the ability to discover and renovate previously hidden
areas. Because of the efforts of the Ministry of Religious Affairs,
the entire length of the Western Wall has now been revealed by the
tunnel excavations. Discoveries include many rooms, public halls,
a section of a Second Temple road, a Hasmonean water tunnel, a pool,
incredible arches that support the various levels of construction,
and more.
A sense of awe overwhelms most visitors as they are guided through
the tunnels, especially at the section that is only three hundred
feet from where the Ark of the Covenant – the Holy of Holies – once
rested. (The current location of the ark is a mystery, which continues
to arouse speculation.) The sizes of the stones used to construct
the tunnels range from relatively small to a gargantuan stone more
than 40- feet long. The stone courses that are underground, as well
as some above ground, are the original Western Wall stones from the
time of Herod the Great, more than 2,000 years old. (King Herod,
who had been made king by the Romans, rebuilt the Second Temple, the
port city of Caesarea, the palace at Masada and more.) Other stones
were placed on top of them during later eras: Roman, Crusader, and
Ottoman. While touring the tunnel, one can see excavations of lower
levels from earlier periods, some of which are scores of feet below!
Midway through the tour we saw a short documentary about the methods
the builders used in those days. Stonecutters used hammers, chisels
and metal wedges to quarry the stones. To move them from the quarries
the builders used large mechanical cranes with levers and pulleys and
huge wheels or log rollers, which formed a type of conveyor belt. Once
moved from their resting place, the stones were transported by oxen
or even by "manpower."
The tour concluded at the terminus of a typical King Herod-era street,
which was abruptly left unfinished upon Herod’s death in 4 BCE. This
was evident from the fact that we stood at a "dead end," which happens
to be the location of the last stand of the Jews against the Romans
in 70 CE, when the Second Temple was razed.
Our excellent guide, Rivka, reminded us of the Prophet Zechariah’s
visions: "And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls
playing in the streets thereof. And I will bring them, and they shall
dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and they shall be my people, and I
will be their God in truth and in righteousness." (Zechariah: 5/8)
There we stood, youngsters and their parents or grandparents, walking
on a street built by Herod more than 2,000 years ago, fulfilling
Zechariah’s prophecies. Only in Jerusalem! (For more information see:
www.english. thekotel.org)