> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://thehistoriesfiles.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Jerusalem's Lower Aqueduct: 300 metres of a water channel attributed to the Hasmonean period uncovered near Ramat Rachel - URL: https://thehistoriesfiles.com/jerusalem-lower-aqueduct-ramat-rachel/ - Published: 2026-10-17T13:46:13.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-17T20:20:19.000Z - Description: Israel Antiquities Authority excavations south of Kibbutz Ramat Rachel have exposed a 300-metre section of Jerusalem's Lower Aqueduct, which the IAA attributes to the Hasmonean period and plans to keep on show. - Author: J E Cowie - Tags: News A 300-metre section of Jerusalem's Lower Aqueduct has been exposed in Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) excavations south of Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. The IAA announced the find on 11 October 2026\. The dig took place ahead of a new neighbourhood that the Israel Land Authority will build in the area, and the Friends of the IAA's report of the announcement says the excavations were funded by the Israel Land Authority. ![Map showing where Jerusalem is](https://thehistoriesfiles.com/content/images/2026/10/map_jerusalem-1.jpg) Jerusalem ## What was found The IAA describes the aqueduct as "originally constructed in the Hasmonean period". It was part of a water system that carried spring water from the Gush Etzion area, by way of Solomon's Pools, to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Dr Benyamin Storchan and Gil Freid, excavation directors on behalf of the IAA, said: "The Lower Aqueduct was an impressive engineering project, probably built in the time of the Hasmonean kings to supply water to Jerusalem." Their statement puts the aqueduct's length at about 21 km from Solomon's Pools, south of Bethlehem, to Jerusalem. Along most of the route, they said, the water dropped just one metre in elevation per kilometre. The IAA release says the channel was designed so water flowed by gravity alone, without pumps or other mechanical means. It adds that cleanout points along the system gave access for clearing blockages and routine maintenance. ![Solomon's Pools, south of Bethlehem](https://thehistoriesfiles.com/content/images/2026/10/shot2_solomon-s-pools-south-of-bethlehem-1.webp) File photo of Solomon's Pools, from which the aqueduct carried water. ## Layers of repair The IAA says the newly exposed section shows several stages in the water system's history. The water first flowed in a built, plastered channel. About 500 years ago, in the Ottoman period, ceramic pipes were installed within the original channel. The outer face of the wall was plastered at that time, with small stones pressed into the plaster while it was still wet. The IAA says the sequence of repairs reflects the aqueduct's importance and the ongoing effort to maintain Jerusalem's water supply. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reported that the aqueduct was repaired and reused through successive eras, including the Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad, Crusader, Mamluk and Ottoman periods. It was used until about a century ago, when modern water infrastructure proved more efficient. ## How firm is the date? The IAA release's wording varies. Its opening states that the aqueduct was "originally constructed in the Hasmonean period", but the excavation directors say it was "probably built in the time of the Hasmonean kings", and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, quoted in the release, spoke of construction "attributed to the days of the Hasmonean kings". JTA gave the Hasmonean period as the second and first centuries BCE and described the aqueduct as "believed" to date from then. Storchan told JTA that the long history of repairs complicates dating. Those who repaired the aqueduct added plaster, fixed collapsed sections and modified the channel, which sometimes obscured evidence of the original construction. He said: "Today, technology is more advanced than it was then. We’re working with all kinds of specialists to pinpoint the dating of the original construction." JTA named optically stimulated luminescence, which can estimate when mineral grains in sediment were last exposed to sunlight, as one method that may help. It said the technique, combined with analysis of mortar, plaster and archaeological layers, may help narrow the dates of different stages. The IAA release said the research would be presented for the first time that week at the 19th "New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and Its Region" conference, held in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. ## Plans for the site Parts of the aqueduct have been uncovered in earlier excavations, JTA reported. Storchan told the agency that this is the first time such a large section will be made permanently accessible to the public. According to the IAA release, the building plans integrate the aqueduct into the main entrance of the new neighbourhood and display it to the public. Dr Amit Re'em, the IAA's Jerusalem District Archaeologist, called it "an engineering marvel". He also described the IAA's "dream and vision": a continuous park allowing people to walk alongside the aqueduct from southern Jerusalem to the Old City. He said the IAA was already advancing the initiative with the Jerusalem Municipality and other partners. I think the plan to keep the aqueduct in view at a neighbourhood entrance, rather than record it and build over it, is the right call. ## The Jesus connection Some coverage has tied the find to the New Testament. In a report published on 15 October, Fox News Digital quoted Douglas Estes, whom it describes as an associate professor of religion at New College of Florida. He said he was "confident" that Jesus, his disciples and other early Christians would have used water supplied by the aqueduct. Fox's report adds that direct archaeological evidence of their individual use has not been established. Estes also said: "There is a rich symbolism that we see here in this aqueduct." That is one scholar's interpretation, reported by Fox News. The IAA statements quoted above attribute the aqueduct to the Hasmonean period and describe its engineering and its planned future. ## Sources Chabin, M. (2026) 'Archaeologists uncover a 300-meter section of ancient aqueduct in Jerusalem', Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 11 October 2026, available at: [https://www.jta.org/2026/10/11/israel/archaeologists-uncover-a-300-meter-section-of-ancient-aqueduct-in-jerusalem](https://www.jta.org/2026/10/11/israel/archaeologists-uncover-a-300-meter-section-of-ancient-aqueduct-in-jerusalem?ref=thehistoriesfiles.com) (Accessed: 17 October 2026). Ford, T. (2026) 'A Long Section of Jerusalem's 2,000-year-old Lower Aqueduct Uncovered in Archaeological Excavations near Ramat Rachel', The Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority, 11 October 2026, available at: [https://www.friendsofiaa.org/news-in-antiquities/2026/10/11/a-long-section-of-jerusalems-2000-year-old-lower-aqueduct-uncovered-in-archaeological-excavations-near-ramat-rachel](https://www.friendsofiaa.org/news-in-antiquities/2026/10/11/a-long-section-of-jerusalems-2000-year-old-lower-aqueduct-uncovered-in-archaeological-excavations-near-ramat-rachel?ref=thehistoriesfiles.com) (Accessed: 17 October 2026). Margolis, A. (2026) 'Lost piece of Jesus' world emerges after 2,000 years in extraordinary discovery', Fox News, 15 October 2026, available at: [https://www.foxnews.com/travel/lost-piece-jesus-world-emerges-2000-years-extraordinary-discovery](https://www.foxnews.com/travel/lost-piece-jesus-world-emerges-2000-years-extraordinary-discovery?ref=thehistoriesfiles.com) (Accessed: 17 October 2026). Sela-Eitam, M. (2026) 'Israel unearths 2,000-year-old section of Jerusalem aqueduct that brought water to Temple Mount', The Jerusalem Post, 11 October 2026, updated 12 October 2026, available at: [https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-911290](https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-911290?ref=thehistoriesfiles.com) (Accessed: 17 October 2026). ## Picture credits - Top picture: The Lower Aqueduct's Fourth Shaft at Armon Hanatziv, south Jerusalem, on another part of the aqueduct. It is not the newly exposed section near Ramat Rachel. Photo: Djampa, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/?ref=thehistoriesfiles.com) (via [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South%5FJerusalem%5FArmon%5FHanatziv%5FLower%5FAqueduct%5FFourth%5FShaft.jpg?ref=thehistoriesfiles.com)) - File photo of Solomon's Pools, from which the aqueduct carried water. Image: Library of Congress, Matson Photo Service (public domain) ([source](https://www.rawpixel.com/image/6806471/bethlehem-solomons-pools-air-the-matson-photo-service?ref=thehistoriesfiles.com)) - Map: drawn from [Natural Earth](https://www.naturalearthdata.com/?ref=thehistoriesfiles.com) (public domain) and [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1218?ref=thehistoriesfiles.com).