The story of the Great Bridge is also the story of Jerusalem’s glory and destruction. The aqueduct on the bridge is an engineering wonder. To lead the water from Solomon’s Pools in Bethlehem, the Hasmoneans built an aqueduct that was about 23 kilometers long that goes through Armon Hanatziv, Mishkenot Sha’ananim, and the Jewish Quarter. This incredible engineering feat, created with what was considered at the time to be advanced technology, is evidence of Jerusalem’s glory. This aqueduct served as one of Jerusalem’s main water sources for almost 2,000 years, until the days of the British Mandate.
Jerusalem’s destruction can be viewed through the destruction of the bridge that occurred twice in history. The first time, it was the Hasmoneans themselves who destroyed it. The sons of Queen Shlomzion destroyed the bridge during a battle they had with each other. The second time the bridge was destroyed was at the time of the Temple’s destruction. The destruction of the bridge is the destruction of Jerusalem in its entirety, the destruction of the Temple, and the long exile that followed. The bridge has not been renovated since then.
A Magnificent Structure
A magnificent structure from the Second Temple period that was very well preserved was discovered in the new excavations in the Western Wall Tunnels.
This magnificent public structure, decorated with many impressive architectural details, along with one of the largest ritual baths ever uncovered, was discovered under the bridge which led water to the Temple in the days of the Second Temple. What this space was used for remains a mystery.
Apparently, the structure was built by Jews who lived in Jerusalem at about 30 CE, approximately forty years before the Second Temple’s destruction. The room was built at the base of the Great Bridge that ran from the residential area on the western hill up to the Temple. The structure’s level is at the foot of the Temple Mount near the main road of stores that were outside the Temple gates where the nation passed before their ascent to the Temple Mount.
Many components were preserved in this structure that are characteristic of the magnificent construction of the Second Temple period.
The structure underwent changes several years before the Temple’s destruction. The large space of the room was divided into smaller areas and the bridge above it was expanded. Due to the expansion, the bridge’s arches leaned on the walls of the structure. A ritual bath, one of the largest found in Jerusalem from this period, was built in one of the new rooms.
Despite the large room’s character and beauty, after the destruction, the structure was partially destroyed and the Romans built a large and fancy bathhouse on its ruins. The Roman bathhouse, symbolizing hedonism, stood in stark contrast to the ritual bath that had been part of the structure until then and had symbolized sacred worship at the Temple. The wall of the bathhouse cuts the Second Temple period structure in two leaving two spaces and a narrow hallway between them.
The Hall of Eras
The Hall of Eras adjacent to the magnificent structure symbolizes the Jewish nation’s eternal connection with Jerusalem. Despite the trials of time, nothing could separate the Jewish people from its eternal capital. In one space, we find remnants from almost all of Jerusalem’s time periods. The most ancient findings in the room are pottery fragments dating back to the 10th century BCE – the days of David and Solomon, and a floor from the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, from the days of the First Temple. In addition, findings include a Hasmonean water fixture, a Second Temple period wall, and arches from later periods – ancient Muslim, Crusader, and Mamluk.
Ritual Baths
Several Second Temple period ritual baths were found adjacent to the magnificent structure. Therefore, the area is termed “The Ritual Bath Floor”. During preservation work, holes were drilled in the northern wall of the ritual bath and as a result, an amazing water source was discovered. The water streams from it and fills the ritual bath space throughout the year. But the greater wonder is that the ritual bath’s drain opening that is over 2,000 years old is still functioning so the waters of the ritual bath continue to flow into the depths of the earth uninterrupted.
Wilson’s Arch
Wilson’s Arch, the last arch on the base of the Great Bridge, serves today as a covered prayer area at the Western Wall Plaza. The arch was discovered back in 1867 but was set up for prayer only after the Six Day War (1967). Rabbi Getz, who was the Western Wall rabbi after it was liberated, described in his diary how the debris was removed in an assembly line of people rather than tractors which could have destroyed the pavement.
One of the greatest surprises of the excavation was the discovery of a theater-like structure under the arch. This theater could hold over 200 people and apparently served as an odeon for limited performances, or as a meeting place for the nation’s dignitaries in order to make decisions pertaining to leadership. The construction of this theater was never completed leading researchers to believe it may never have been used. There are researchers who claim that its construction was stopped due to the breakout of the Bar Kochba revolt.
The ongoing excavations at the Western Wall Tunnels sites, at the base of the Western Wall, reveal another layer of Jerusalem’s history and of the connection between all Jewish generations to its capital, continuing to tell the story of the city which is the center of the world.
