City of David through Kidron Valley

 

After visiting all the beautiful Biblical sites on the Mount of Olives, we walked along the Kidron Valley towards City of David. The walk itself is bit long and slightly uphill. If you are with elderly parents, we would suggest you take a cab from Garden of Gethsemane to City of David.

But we walked.

Kids had ice cream and we had our first fresh pomegranate juice in Israel just before visiting Garden of Gethsemane. So we were all set to walk to City of David through Kidron Valley.

City of David, where everything began

Captured by King David from the Jebusites over 3,000 years ago (2 Samuel 5:6-7), the City of David, also known as the “stronghold of Zion” (2 Samuel 5:7). It is located a short distance south of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

Set between two valleys, the city was built on a narrow ridge near the Gihon Spring, the main water source.

Rich with historic significance, the City of David has revealed some of the most exciting biblical archaeological artifacts and captivated researchers for the last 150 years.

Upon reaching City of David, we had our packed lunch, while we had so many questions to our tour guide, Tova. It is important to understand the Old Testament’s life of David while understanding the Old Jerusalem.

Biblical history is one thing, and then historical facts until current day is the other thing.

 

Biblical History

 

The first mention in the Old Testament of Jerusalem as the “City of David” is found in 2 Samuel 5:7:

“David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.”

In this account, David had been made king of the entire nation of Israel, and he led his army to take the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites (verse 6).

Upon winning this city, David “took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces inward. And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him” (2 Samuel 5:9–10).

City of David is the place where you can visit in Jerusalem to see possible remains of King David’s palace, Nehemiah’s wall, Hezekiah’s tunnel, the Pool of Siloam and royal tombs.

Since this is technically the most ancient section of Jerusalem, it is ironic that the City of David is actually located outside of the walls of the present “Old City.”

The story of City of David began 3000 years ago and even today, the story of the City of David still continues.

Deep underground, the City of David reveals most exciting archaeological finds of the ancient world. While above the ground, the city is vibrant center of activity.

Visitor center welcomes visitors for an exciting tour to the site where much of the Bible was written.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3D movie on City of David

Our tickets also included 3D movie of City of David in small theater found inside the main area.

It showed a fascinating animated film about ancient Jerusalem and the City of David that sets the stage for the tour of this ancient city.

 

 

 

The remains at the site include several water tunnels, one of which was built by King Hezekiah and still carries water, several pools including the Pool of Siloam known from the Old and New Testaments.

 

 

 

 

 

Gihon Spring

The Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley was the main source of water for the Pool of Siloam in the City of David, the original site of Jerusalem. One of the world’s major intermittent springs—and a reliable water source that made human settlement possible in ancient Jerusalem—the spring was not only used for drinking water, but also initially for irrigation of gardens in the adjacent Kidron Valley which provided a food source for the ancient settlement.

 

Water Tunnels at City of David

City of David sites extends down from the southern city walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. The remains at the site include several water tunnels, one of which was built by King Hezekiah and still carries water, several pools including the Pool of Siloam known from the Old and New Testaments.

During the reign of Hezekiah, the walls of Jerusalem were expanded westward, across the Central Valley from the City of David and the Temple Mount, enclosing a previously unwalled suburb in the area known today as the Western Hill of the Old City.

While there is a scenic walkway for those who prefer not to go through one of the ancient tunnels there are two tunnel options: Hezekiah’s Tunnel, where visitors must walk through up to 18 inches of water, or the dry Canaanite Tunnel.

Hezekiah’s Tunnel
Constructed by King Hezekiah during the 7th Century BCE to protect Jerusalem’s water source while also denying it to the Assyrian armies who besieged the city (2 Chronicles 32:3-4; 30; 2 Kings 20:20), the tunnel is approximately 600 yards long – connecting the Gihon Spring with the Pool of Siloam. Visitors can walk the length of the tunnel and see an inscription at the end of the tunnel which describes the completion of the project.

Since the water level was bit high for our 6 year old, we decided to go through the other tunnel, Canaanite Tunnel.

 

 

Canaanite Tunnel
This tunnel is from approximately 1800 BCE, from the time of the early fortifications of the city. This tunnel pre-dates Hezekiah’s tunnel by 1100 years, but did not provide adequate security from invaders.

 

 

Gihon Spring and the two Pools of Siloam is open to public

 

 

Biblical Reference

2 Samuel 5:4-10

David was thirty years old when he became king, and he ruled forty years.

He was king over Judah in Hebron for seven years and six months, and he was king over all Israel and Judah in Jerusalem for thirty-three years.

When the king and his men went to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites who lived there, the Jebusites said to David, “You can’t get inside our city. Even the blind and the crippled can stop you.” They thought David could not enter their city. But David did take the city of Jerusalem with its strong walls, and it became the City of David.

That day David said to his men, “To defeat the Jebusites you must go through the water tunnel. Then you can reach those ‘crippled’ and ‘blind’ enemies. This is why people say, ‘The blind and the crippled may not enter the palace.’ “

So David lived in the strong, walled city and called it the City of David. David built more buildings around it, beginning where the land was filled in. He also built more buildings inside the city. He became stronger and stronger, because the LORD God All-Powerful was with him.

 

Tips for the first timers

1. To save time, you can take a cab or taxi from Garden of Gethsemane to City of David instead of walking through Kidron Valley, which may be quite steep for elderly visitors

2. Be prepared to spend more than 3 hours in City of David plus the tunnels and pool of Siloam

 

Entire Holy Land Trip Index

Trip to Israel as family was amazing. Getting to see the Holy Land which we have read and heard about since our childhood Bible story days is truly special indeed. We have put forth 50 detailed post on our DIY trip to Israel & Jordan. Check out our entire 10 Day Trip Index of Holy Land. We would love to hear your feedback.