In historic first, Old City of Jerusalem’s Roman-era street to be made wheelchair accessible

In a historic first, the Christian Quarter Road in Jerusalem's Old City, a Roman-era street from around 135 CE, is being made wheelchair accessible. The project, led by the Jerusalem Affairs Ministry, Municipality, IAA, and PAMI, involves dismantling and conserving 50 Roman paving stones, with level paving on the western side. Officials emphasized preserving history while ensuring accessibility.

The ongoing project to make Jerusalem's Old City accessible has reached the ancient Christian Quarter Road, which dates back to around 135 CE, when Jerusalem was known as Aelia Capitolina under the Romans. The project, which began planning in 2009 and was formally inaugurated a decade later, aims to make the 1,900-year-old street accessible to wheelchairs and strollers while conserving the original stonework. It is spearheaded by the Jerusalem Affairs Ministry, alongside the Jerusalem Municipality's Accessibility Department, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), and is being carried out by the East Jerusalem Development Ltd. (PAMI). All the work is being conducted with the guidance of accessibility consultants and within local topographical constraints. Water and electricity infrastructure will also be replaced under the project. Since the beginning of the work, the Old City of Jerusalem has become one of the most accessible historic cities in the world, with some six kilometers of alleyways being made accessible in an area of roughly a square kilometer surrounded by the city's walls. Earlier this week, experts from the IAA mapped 50 Roman paving stones on the street for conservation, about half of them defined as being in a 'complex conservation condition.' In accordance with IAA guidelines, the ancient pavement will be dismantled entirely. Each stone will be numbered, measured and documented on site before removal. Only after the condition of all the stones is assessed, experts will determine which stones will be returned to the street and which will be kept in storage. While the original Roman pavement will be re-laid along the eastern side of the street, about a meter and a half wide, the western side will be covered with level paving suitable for wheelchair accessibility. Jerusalem Affairs Ministry CEO Shimon Elbum said the project is part of a vision to make Jerusalem the most accessible city in the world. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion added that making the Old City accessible expresses a basic value of equality, dignity and every person's right to experience Jerusalem's most important sites.