Warren's Shaft & Hezekiah's Tunnel
Flowing water from the Gihon Springs, which Warren’s Shaft leads down to and which runs through Hezekiah’s tunnel was essential to the cities survival. So important in fact that Hezekiah built his tunnel in 701 BC in order to channel the water so it flowed within the defensive walls (2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:4,30). This would keep their most precious resource protected from their Assyrian enemies. Hezekiah was a master of defense also building his “Broad Wall” to defend the city’s newer districts at that time from a northern attack. The word “gihon” means to gush and was named that precisely because the water gushed out of the hill the city was built upon.
One of the most exciting things you can do in Jerusalem is walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. To me, it was like walking through a time machine that took me to a period thousands of years ago. But I’m kind of a nerd like that I guess. The following is a journal excerpt from this experience: August 18, 2009 “Yesterday went to Ir David and hiked through Hezekiah’s tunnel built in 701 B.C. It was tons of fun. The water was cold when you first step in but gets warm as you walk. It was a good 45 minute walk through the dark tunnel. It was an amazing feeling to walk through something so old (only rediscovered about 40 years ago) with its hard wet walls of sandy stone. The bottom was smooth and the running water at one point went just above my thighs. Some parts I had to crouch down because the top was low. Towards the end it was tall.” |