Israel unearths 2,000-year-old section of Jerusalem aqueduct that brought water to Temple Mount

A 300-meter section of Jerusalem's Lower Aqueduct, built during the Hasmonean period, was unearthed south of Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. The aqueduct carried spring water from Gush Etzion to the Temple Mount via Solomon's Pools. The IAA plans to preserve the find and incorporate it into a new neighborhood's entrance.

The Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of a 300-meter section of Jerusalem's Lower Aqueduct, originally built during the Hasmonean period, south of Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. The aqueduct was part of a sophisticated water system that carried spring water from the Gush Etzion area to the Temple Mount via Solomon's Pools, using gravity flow. Excavation directors Dr. Benyamin Storchan and Gil Freid noted the system remained in intermittent use until about 100 years ago. The newly exposed section reveals multiple historical stages: initially a built and plastered channel, later fitted with ceramic pipes during the Ottoman period about 500 years ago. The Israel Land Authority and IAA plan to preserve the aqueduct and incorporate it into the entrance of a new neighborhood. Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu linked the find to Hasmonean-era leadership and Jerusalem's growth.