Aelia Capitolina Archaeological Site

Address: Aelia Capitolina (historic site within the area of Jerusalem’s Old City), Jerusalem District, Israel

Aelia Capitolina was the Roman colony founded on the site of Jerusalem by Emperor Hadrian in the second century CE, established following the suppression of the Bar Kokhba revolt.

Archaeological remains associated with Aelia Capitolina include parts of a Roman street grid, sections of the Cardo Maximus, and Roman-period installations that lie beneath and alongside later Byzantine, Islamic and Crusader layers. These Roman city features are visible in excavations and underlie portions of the modern Old City.

The foundation of Aelia Capitolina dates to the reign of Hadrian around 135 CE, when the emperor reorganised the city as a Roman colony and introduced Roman urban and religious elements; the site then evolved through Byzantine, early Islamic and medieval periods as control of the city changed hands.

The Roman colony occupied the hill and environs of what is now Jerusalem’s Old City; remains linked to Aelia Capitolina are concentrated within and immediately outside the present Old City walls, adjacent to major sites such as the Western Wall and the Temple Mount precinct.

• Founding: Established by the Roman emperor Hadrian after the Bar Kokhba revolt, the city was intended as a Roman colony imposed on the Jerusalem site.

Aelia Capitolina refers to the Roman/Byzantine town at the site of today’s Jerusalem Old City. From Tel Aviv it’s about a 50-60 km drive east along Highway 1 to Jerusalem. Once in Jerusalem, the Light Rail (Red Line) to the Jaffa/City Hall area or arrivals at the Jerusalem Central Bus Station put you within a 10-25 minute walk of Jaffa Gate; alternatively local buses and taxis serve the Old City gates (Jaffa Gate, Damascus Gate, Zion Gate) - the Old City itself is pedestrianized.

• Explore early in the morning when the Old City area that corresponds to Roman Aelia Capitolina (notably the Cardo/ancient street sections in the Jewish Quarter) is much quieter and Roman pavement and columns are easier to photograph.
• Enter the Old City via Jaffa Gate if you want a relatively direct walk toward the Cardo and nearby Roman-era remains; combine that walk with a focused archaeological or guided tour to make sense of the multi-layered Roman, Byzantine and later remains.
• Check opening hours and prayer schedules for specific sites within the Old City before you go-some archaeological displays and smaller chapels fluctuate opening times and guided-visit availability.