Jerusalem, Israel
Hezekiah's Tunnel
A 533-metre water tunnel cut through solid rock 2,700 years ago so Jerusalem would have water during a siege. You can walk through it.
Biblical significance
When Sennacherib marched on Judah, Hezekiah stopped the springs outside the city and drove a tunnel through solid rock from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam. Two teams cut from opposite ends and met in the middle — a feat recorded on the Siloam Inscription, one of the oldest Hebrew inscriptions ever found.
Walking it today is the closest thing in Jerusalem to time travel: knee-deep water, chisel marks still sharp on the walls, and the sudden widening where the two crews finally heard each other through the stone.
Scripture
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Open in YouVersion →Excerpts from the World English Bible. Full text opens in the YouVersion Bible app.
Best time to go
Year round; water is coldest in winter. Early morning avoids queues.
Visitor notes
Part of the City of David. Bring a torch, water shoes and clothes you can soak; a dry Canaanite tunnel runs parallel for those who prefer it.
Coordinates
31.7710, 35.2354
On the map
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Hezekiah's Tunnel on film
This chapter of the documentary begins at Hezekiah's Tunnel.
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Hezekiah's Tunnel on the map
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