Hezekiah's Tunnel: 533-Meter Ancient Water Channel. Carved nearly 3,000 years ago beneath Jerusalem, about 533 meters long through solid limestone Built to secure water supply during King Hezekiah's reign around 701 BCE in preparation for Assyrian invasion Linked Gihon Spring with Pool of Siloam inside city walls
Hezekiah's Tunnel (c. 701 BCE) stretches 533 meters through solid limestone beneath Jerusalem. Two teams started from opposite ends and met within centimeters vertically and horizontally. The Siloam Inscription describes this moment. Still functions today. ⛲
Key Facts
- Carved nearly 3,000 years ago beneath Jerusalem, about 533 meters long through solid limestone
- Built to secure water supply during King Hezekiah's reign around 701 BCE in preparation for Assyrian invasion
- Linked Gihon Spring with Pool of Siloam inside city walls
- Two teams of workers began cutting from opposite ends and met precisely in the middle
- Teams met only a few centimeters apart vertically and horizontally
- Modern engineers debate how builders achieved this without modern surveying tools or light
- Siloam Inscription discovered in 1880 describes the moment teams met in ancient Hebrew letters
- Total fall in elevation is less than one meter, a slope precise that would be difficult with modern instruments
- Tunnel is one of the oldest intact water systems still functioning today
Related site: Hezekiah's Tunnel — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: Unexplained Underground Structures from Lost Ancient Civilizations by Universe Inside You