Siloam tunnel

The Siloam Tunnel, also known as Hezekiah’s Tunnel, is an ancient rock-cut conduit in Jerusalem that channels water from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam. The feature is notable for its length and the inscribed stone found inside documenting the tunnel’s construction.

The tunnel is roughly 533 metres long and runs through solid rock, ending at a pool that collected the water for city use. The cut shows evidence of two teams digging from opposite ends and meeting in the middle, and the carved Siloam Inscription records that achievement.

Biblical accounts attribute the work to King Hezekiah in the late 8th century BCE and archaeological study has placed the tunnel in the Iron Age context, though scholarly discussion about exact dates continues. Excavations and conservation in the 19th and 20th centuries documented the tunnel and recovered the inscription.

The tunnel begins at the Gihon Spring in the eastern slope of the City of David and runs to the Pool of Siloam in the Tyropoeon Valley, south of the Temple Mount area in Jerusalem. It is within the modern archaeological park that interprets the ancient city’s water system.

• Length and inscription: The tunnel is approximately 533 metres long and contains the Siloam Inscription carved into the rock describing its construction.
• Visitor access: Access to the tunnel for visitors is possible within the City of David archaeology area, though walking conditions vary with water levels and seasonal flows.

What to See #

• Pool of Siloam: The ancient pool at the tunnel's downstream end that collected water delivered from the Gihon Spring and served as a public water reservoir in antiquity.
• Gihon Spring: The Gihon Spring area at the tunnel's upstream origin where the water source was protected by successive fortifications and city works.