Massive Second Temple-Era Mikveh Complex Where Pilgrims Purified Themselves Uncovered at the Foot of the Temple Mount
A massive complex of several mikva’ot, believed to have been used by Jewish pilgrims, has been uncovered at the foot of the Temple Mount on the outskirts of Jerusalem's Old City. The discovery was made during five seasons of excavations directed by Prof. Uzi Leibner and Prof. Orit Peleg-Barkat of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Institute of Archaeology. “The Hebrew University has been excavating in the Ophel since 1968,” the two archaeologists said. “It started with Benjamin Mazar, who was the president of the Hebrew University, right after the Six-Day War. Later, his granddaughter, Eilat Mazar, also excavated here… After she passed away, we stepped in.”
The complex, which stretches across about 280 square meters, was found at the Ophel archaeological site and includes a large central pool and several mikva’ot. It is located near the now-sealed “Triple Gate,” which served as one of the main entryways to the Temple Mount in antiquity; during the Second Temple period, the gateway led to an underground staircase that climbed to the middle of the Temple Mount's plaza. Both its location and size suggest the complex played a significant role in the journey of ancient Jews making pilgrimage to the Temple, allowing them to undergo ritual purification at one of the site's mikva’ot before making their way up to the Temple Mount.
“Our excavation is right at the foot of the staircase climbing up to the Triple Gate. So it's a major location, about 50 meters from the gate itself,” Leibner said. At the center of the complex, archaeologists unearthed a large plastered pool with steps descending into it from all four sides, measuring approximately 12 by 9.5 meters and dating to the early first century CE. Northwest of the central pool they exposed a finely dressed stone structure containing four rooms, three of them identified as mikva’ot dating to the beginning of the first century CE. (JPost/VFI News)
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