| Jerusalem |
| Ophel City Walls |
| Conservation of the Walls |
| Orderer | Israel Antiquities Authority |
| Implemented by: |
Arch. Avi Mashiah
Arch. technician Yuval Avraham
Tsagai Asma'in
|
The Ophel city walls are a special site thanks to the excellent state of preservation of the fortification structures from the First Temple period. These structures are incorporated in numerous architectural remains that date to later periods ranging from the Second Temple period to the Early Islamic period.
The conservation planning of the Ophel city walls began in late 2009. At first an excavation headed by archaeologist Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University was conducted in order to complete the exposure and emphasize the fortified remains from the First Temple period, which are the focus of the visit to the site (Fig. 1).
The plan for conserving the site and preparing it for the public was designed by the Conservation Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority and included a walkway that leads visitors to the level of the gate, accompanied by signage, illustrations and shaded stations (Figs. 2, 3).
The main challenge facing the planners was to show the visitor the fortifications and their function, to clarify the many interventions that were done to them and to do so without implementing extensive restoration and reconstruction measures. The planning principle that was adopted was one of minimal intervention in the remains themselves so as to preserve the finds as they originally were at the time of their discovery. The accompanying development and signage assist in understanding the site and its different phases and components.
The visitor’s path arrives at the Ophel city walls from the direction of the Davidson Center, by way of the Umayyad Palace and the route through the ritual baths (miqwa’ot).
Visitors pass along a timeline by way of a building complex from the Byzantine period to a public building of the Second Temple period and in the end arrive at the habitation level of the gate from the First Temple period. A broad shaded observation point installed at the site is a convenient spot where groups can receive explanations about the site and learn about it by means of the accompanying signage.
On the habitation level of the First Temple period visitors are presented with a rare opportunity to wander freely amongst the rooms and spaces in the gate. The outline of the gate’s original floor was restored and the entrances to the rooms in the structure were emphasized. The original floor was made of crushed chalk and it was restored with similar materials on the sides and fringes of the gate. A transparent mesh that can be walked on was installed in the center of the gate. It allows visitors a glimpse of the steep natural bedrock at the site and of the unique building technology – the construction of a stone foundation and the walls above it. A graphic illustration of the shape of the gate in the First Temple period is also depicted on a large sign in front of the gate’s entrance and helps visitors understand the finds in the area.
The visitor’s path also allows one to wander freely through the royal building east of the gate where ten large pithoi (storage jars) were found during the course of the excavations (Figure 4, 5). The pithoi, which were destroyed in the conflagration that consumed the building, were restored and returned to their original location. The placing of the jars reflects the function of the space as a royal storeroom where vessels were densely packed together. Visitors can walk between the large jars, touch them and see the inscriptions and illustrations that were discovered on some of them.
The last stop along the visitor’s path is the observation point that looks out on the impressive wall of the gate tower. The seams between the buildings in this region were emphasized so as to illustrate the construction phases in it. An explanatory sign helps in understanding the finds and presenting the ancient elements of the complex.
In June 2010 a team of conservators of the Conservation Department commenced work on the conservation and stabilization of the site. The conservation measures there took six months to complete. The development phase, which involved preparing the site for visits by the public, was begun soon thereafter and ended in the summer of 2011 (Figures 6, 7).
We hope that this site will allow visitors in the city to experience Jerusalem as it was in the First Temple period, which until now was only revealed to us in the form of scant and meager remains.
Avi Mashiah
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June 2013
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To view the figures, click on the figure caption
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