Solomonic wall open for public viewing

A massive wall from the era of King Solomon of Israel is now officially open for viewing at the Davidson Tourist Center just outside the Old City of Jerusalem. We say “officially,” because due to its grand size, the construction could hardly be hid from onlookers outside the tourist center.

The 3,000-year-old edifice was unearthed down to bedrock over a year ago in an excavation conducted by Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University. The site was previously excavated by her grandfather Dr. Benjamin Mazar in the 1970s, and then again by Eilat Mazar a decade later. This latest phase of excavation worked to remove walls of later periods that disturbed the original floor plan of the structure, as well as to better determine the dating of the building.

Now, tourists and archaeological enthusiasts alike can see the wall all the way down to bedrock, unhindered by later phases of construction from the following three millennia, thus fulfilling Eilat Mazar’s vision for the excavation.

Speaking to the Jerusalem Post,she said, “I want people to be impressed by the actual remains and the importance of the ancient history of Jerusalem. … When it’s tangible, it makes it easy to understand.”

Visiting the site, one cannot help but be impressed by the sheer size of the structure. The wall contains the largest hewn stones from the First Temple Period ever found in Israel. Only a thousand years later, with the construction by Herod the Great, are greater-size building blocks found in Jerusalem.

Naturally, detractors are annoyed by the focus on the Israelite history of the site, rather than giving equal weight to other periods. Realistically though, this is the only structure that highlights the Israelite period throughout the whole tourist park. And assuredly, it is the most magnificent considering its age.

The dating and size of the structure also unhinges the claims of many scholars who denounce the accuracy of the biblical view of the kingdom of united Israel under King David and his son Solomon. They say that David and Solomon were nothing more than tribal chieftains over a small group of people on the hill of Jerusalem.

Unfortunately for them, this massive structure—along with other recent findings throughout biblical Israel—are quickly catapulting that argument from any serious discussion.

More than any site, this excavation gives credence to the size and centrality of Jerusalem as the capital of united Israel in the Israelite period. Visit the site if you can!