Exploring Ancient Pilgrimage Route Beneath Jerusalem Reveals Tangible Temple Ruins

Ahead of Tisha B'Av, Yossi Abdu and Rabbi Tzvi Greenshpan embarked on a unique documentary journey beneath Jerusalem, tracing the ancient pilgrimage path to the Temple Mount. Their exploration, from the City of David to the Davidson Center, reveals physical remnants of the destruction from 70 CE, allowing visitors to literally touch history.

The journey begins at the Pool of Siloam, recently uncovered in its full extent, which served thousands of pilgrims who immersed in its waters for purification rituals. From there, the pilgrimage road, a 50-meter-wide paved avenue buried under ruins and excavated only in the past 15 years, is shown. According to the Talmud, King Agrippa counted 1.2 million Passover sacrifices, implying some 13 million pilgrims walked this path.

Beneath the street lies an ancient drainage channel that became a death trap during Jerusalem's final days, where cooking pots, oil lamps, and even a Roman sword were found. The tour continues to the Davidson Center near the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount, where rare finds include a unique ritual bath with a barrier separating the pure from the impure, and a massive fallen stone inscribed "To the Trumpeting Place," directing priests when to sound the shofar.

Many stones from the destroyed Temple were taken by Muslim rulers about 1,300 years ago to build palaces, but some remain embedded in Old City homes. The route ends at the original Second Temple staircase beneath the "Hulda Gates," the southern entrance to the Temple Mount, the closest point accessible to the Holy of Holies. Rabbi Greenshpan emphasized the enduring spiritual presence despite the destruction.

This archaeological path connects visitors directly to Jerusalem's ancient heart, transforming historical texts into a vivid, tangible experience of glory, destruction, and hope, bridging over two millennia of separation.