| Jerusalem |
| The Western Wall Tunnels, The Secret Passage |
| Conservation and stabilization after excavation |
| Orderer | The Western Wall Heritage Foundation |
| Duration | April 2007 – January 2008 |
| Implemented by: |
Evgeny Ivanovsky
Aliza Van Zaiden
Eetai Abksis
Shiran Sabag
Yossi Vaknin
Avner Hillman
Eng. Ofer Cohen
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In April 2007 an archaeological excavation initiated at the request of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation was begun in the eastern part of the corridor referred to as the ‘Secret Passage’, which is located in the area of the Western Wall Tunnels site. The excavation was conducted in order to create a direct passage from the main entrance to the worship area that is in Wilson’s Arch (the women’s gallery). The excavation was carried out under the direction of the archaeologist Alexander Onn and the historian Dr. Avi Solomon of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The cement ceiling that covered the passage was removed by the contractor, Avner Gil‘ad. Upon exposing the site the Conservation Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority implemented measures there that included the conservation of original elements and engineering stabilization.
The eastern section of the ‘Secret Passage’ was excavated for a total distance of approximately 13 meters, and it is a continuation of the passage that has already been exposed to the public. It was ascertained in the excavation that the southern wall of the ‘Secret Passage’, which is c. 80 long and extends from Rehov HaGai in the west until the foot of the western pilaster of Wilson’s Arch in the east, is actually the northern wall of a formidable structure that was apparently erected in the Roman period (second-third centuries CE). This edifice was probably built within the framework of the reconstruction of the city Jerusalem that was then referred to as Aelia Capitolina. Within the domain of the rebuilt city was a bathhouse. In the opinion of the excavators, this was a large public building that extended from the route of the Roman-Byzantine cardo in the western part of the Western Wall plaza, which is currently being excavated by the Antiquities Authority, to the foot of Wilson’s Arch in the east.
The excavation has shown that this region was apparently damaged by an earthquake. During the Byzantine period there was probably a passage from Rehov HaGai in the direction of the Western Wall that followed the route of the ‘Secret Passage’. Later, in the Umayyad period, the passage ceased to be used, and there is no evidence that the ‘Secret Passage’ was used after this period.
The architectural elements that were discovered during the course of the excavation are:
Western Vault. This vault is built of very soft maleke limestone, similar to the stones of the vault in the ‘Secret Passage’.
Southern Wall. The wall is built of large ashlar stones (maleke) that are very well-worked and meticulously dressed. They are 0.5 x 0.7 m and one can discern a herringbone pattern on the bonding material in the joints between them. The bottom part of the wall is the southern wall of the ‘Secret Passage’. There is an opening set in the wall that is topped with a built lintel that consists of one straight stone (length c. 2.5 m, height 0.5 m) above which there is a relieving arch. The opening is almost 1 m wide and c. 1.95 m high. Its jambs (width 0.2 m) are very smooth and they were carefully finished. The doorjambs are positioned on a threshold that is equipped with sockets on the inside for the door posts. The opening was blocked with cement at the beginning of the 1990’s. East of the door there is a window that measures 0.8 m wide and 1.1 m high.
Western Staircase. Remains of a staircase were uncovered that ascend to the east, of which six steps that are made of various size stone slabs were left in situ. The staircase is c. 3 m wide, which is the width of the ‘Secret Passage’. Its overall length is 2.7 m and the rise and run of the steps are c. 0.18 m and c. 0.74 m respectively. The steps were built of alternating rows of wide and narrow pavers, without any bonding material between them. A Herodian architrave in secondary use is incorporated in the construction of the first step.
Remains of a Water Channel. A water channel oriented in an east west direction was built next to the northern wall of the ‘Secret Passage’. It is c. 13 m long, c. 0.3 m wide and c. 0.3 m deep. Its sides are made of small stones and bonding material. The inside of the channel is treated with hydraulic plaster c. 2 cm thick.
Northern Wall. The wall is built of stones 0.3 x 0.5 m; the stones are not as smooth as those of the southern wall and the construction of the wall is not as meticulous. The wall was built in three phases employing several methods of construction. Remains of the original smooth, light gray colored plaster (thickness 4-6 cm) were discerned on the wall.
Staircase. The staircase consists of four steps (width c. 2.1 m) that descend to the east toward an opening that was fixed in the southern wall of the ‘Secret Passage’. The steps have a rise of 0.26 m; the run of the top two steps is 0.45 m and that of the bottom steps is narrower at 0.35 m. There are signs of a threshold on the upper step.
The Top of the Vault of the Herodian Chamber. During the course of the excavation the eastern part of the top of the vault of the ‘Herodian Chamber’ was discovered, which is located beneath the ‘Secret Passage’.
The historical importance of the ‘Secret Passage’ stems from its being stratigraphic evidence of the construction of the Aelia Capitolina in the second-third centuries CE. Today the passage will serve as route that will convey visitors from the entrance to the Western Wall Tunnels’ site to the women’s worship area, which is located in Wilsons’s Arch, and to the Model Room. From the entrance to the passage one can look out over the Western Wall compound.
An Evaluation of the Physical Condition
Masonry Stones. Most of the stones were in a good state of preservation. That notwithstanding, weathering was noted as a result of the pressure on the lower courses in the passage. Damage was also caused to them due to the fact that some of the stones were originally set in place incorrectly when they were arranged in courses vertically rather than horizontally. There is a fissure in the southern wall and the face of the stone is detached.
Bonding Material. The bonding material in southern wall is well preserved, except for several localized places where the material has separated from the stone. In the eastern part of the northern wall there are places where the weathering is advanced and the stones are in actual danger of falling. While cleaning the joints weathering in the form of large internal voids was identified in the wall.
Top of the Vault in the Herodian Chamber. The removal of the fill from the top of the vault during the excavation created a new unbalanced situation whereby the weight was not evenly distributed above the vault. In the future this condition is liable to lead to distortions that will endanger its stability.
Plaster Remains. The obvious problems with the plaster include cracking, detachment from the wall and lacunae.
Conservation Measures
The conservation intervention at the site included:
• Securing the stones to the constructive elements by means of different diameter fiberglass-epoxy pins.
• Completing missing stonework and sealing cracks by injecting bonding material.
• Injecting bonding material deep into the wall by means of a grouting machine.
• Reinforcing the plaster by adding margins to it, filling in lacunae and injecting bonding material (‘mini grouting’).
• Reinforcing the water channel.
• Extensive cleaning of the joints using mechanical and hand tools; spraying water under pressure; installing plastic pipes for the purpose of injecting bonding material deep into the stone; pointing up joints with lime-based bonding material and cleaning the stones.
• Stabilization of the ‘Herodian Chamber’ vault by means of debesh construction built to the height of the top of the vault; completing the debesh construction in the wake of the excavation below the steps.
• Construction of a wooden footboard on which visitors can walk through the site.
It is recommended that a conservation follow-up be performed at the site on a regular basis along with ongoing maintenance.
To view the figures, click on the figure caption
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