Zedekia cave

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Zedekia cave
Inside the cave
Visitors to Zedekia Cave in the early 20th century

The Zedekia Cave is an artificial cave under the Old City of Jerusalem , which dates back to the 6th century BC in its origins. Goes back to BC.

history

The cave was originally a small natural cave. When the use as a quarry began is not certain. Some dates go back to the 10th century BC. BC, as likely the era of the second temple is assumed. What is certain, however, is the uninterrupted use of the quarry from the 1st century BC. Until the 16th century AD

When Suleyman I rebuilt Jerusalem and provided it with a closed city ​​wall , he feared the open cave would create a weak point in the city's defense. Enemies could invade and break entrances into the city from the cave. Therefore he had the Zedekiah cave walled up and blocked with large stones when the Jerusalem wall was built. The cave was gradually forgotten until it was rediscovered by James Turner Barclay in the winter of 1854 : Barclay's dog disappeared without a trace during a walk. While searching, Barclay's son discovered a mud at the foot of the cliff, from the depths of which he heard the dog bark. Barclay secretly examined the cave, and then presented his results to various Jerusalem scientists.

As a result, the cave became a popular destination for adventure seekers who explored the cave. Only a few years later, the authorities forbade entry into the cave so that it could not be used as a shelter and hiding place for opponents of the Ottoman Empire .

In 1874 the French archaeologist Charles Clermont-Ganneau discovered an approximately 25 × 35 cm large rock painting depicting a winged lion with a human head. The image was extracted from the rock and taken to the Palestine Exploration Fund in London .

The cave was only opened to the public again during the British mandate from 1920 to 1948. During the Second World War , a bunker front structure was concreted in order to be able to use the cave as a bomb shelter in the event of a possible German or Italian attack on Jerusalem. After Jordan conquered East Jerusalem in 1948, the cave was again closed to the public.

After East Jerusalem and with it the Zedekia Cave came under Israeli rule after the Six Day War , the Jerusalem Municipality's Tourism Department decided to reopen the cave and expand it into a tourist attraction. With the support of the Jerusalem Foundation , the East Jerusalem Development Company took over the operation of the cave in 1985, which modernized the paths and lighting with a large donation from Rene and Nanny Lang from Zurich . Nahum Meltzer was responsible for the modernization.

Quarry operation

There is little evidence of the use of the cave as an underground quarry as early as the time of the first temple. A heavy use during the times of the second temple and for building projects under Herod is better proven . In the centuries that followed, the Zedekia Cave was used to varying degrees as a quarry for Jerusalem buildings until it was closed by Suleiman around 1535.

After the rediscovery in the 19th century, the use as a quarry was resumed on a small scale. The last documented use was for the construction of the bell tower at the Jaffa Gate in 1904, which was demolished again in the 1920s.

The use of an underground quarry had several advantages: The work was largely independent of the weather and could be continued continuously. In addition, the structure of the limestone in the massive rock was better suited to cutting large blocks of stone in the desired shape. Another advantage was the proximity to the city, which saved time- consuming and expensive transport through the Judean Mountains .

The stone that was quarried in the Zedekia Cave was a special type of limestone called Meleke . It could easily be cut into large blocks by itself. The freshly cut surfaces initially have a glistening white appearance that reflects sunlight in a special way. Under the influence of the weather, the surface weathers and forms a gray-brownish color that is reminiscent of Italian marble . The stones from the Zedekia cave were among the best building materials in Jerusalem and were mainly used in stately buildings.

Name source

It was named Zedekia Cave in reference to the flight of King Zedekia , through which, according to a comment by Rabbi Rashi , he is said to have fled the city surrounded by the Chaldeans . Water seeps through numerous cracks and washouts in the cave ceiling, which collects in a small pool called Zedekia's tears. According to the story, the inedible water represents the tears of Zedekiah, which he shed at the sight of his children being executed. This escape through the cave is a legend , but this does not detract from the use of the popular name Zedekia Cave.

The name proposed and published by scientists after the rediscovery is King Solomon's Quarries. Based on 1 Kings 5: 29-31, it was seen as obvious that King Solomon used the rock massif in front of the city as a quarry for his extensive construction activities. This was supported by the Palestine Exploration Fund and one of its leading researchers, Sir Charles Warren . Warren was a Freemason , and considered King Solomon the first Freemason. Because of these connections, the cave was subsequently used as a meeting place for ceremonies by the Jerusalem Freemasons.

location and size

The access to the cave is in a cliff east of the Damascus Gate . The access is also the highest point of the cave, from here the bottom of the cave runs continuously falling around 230 m to the southeast under the Muslim Quarter . The largest width of the cave is about 100 m, the average height of the cavity is 15 m. The cave ceiling made of solid rock is only 10 m in places.

The stone carvers also left strong rock pillars in the large hall of the cave as supporting pillars , which support the surface layer , which is around 9,000 m² in size and weighing 500,000 tons. Despite the long existence of the quarry and the numerous severe earthquakes in the region, the ceiling is still almost completely intact. Strata of rock have only crashed in isolated places.

literature

Web links

Commons : Zedekia Cave  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 31 ° 46 ′ 55.3 "  N , 35 ° 13 ′ 50.1"  E