A team of archaeologists has uncovered a massive 2,800-year-old dam in Jerusalem’s City of David—just steps from where Jesus is said to have healed a blind man.
According to the Gospel of John, Jesus told the man to wash in the Pool of Siloam, located inside Jerusalem Walls National Park—a site of deep biblical significance that was rediscovered in 2004.
John 9:10–11 describes the moment: “‘How then were your eyes opened?’ they asked. He replied, ‘The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.’”
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and the Weizmann Institute of Science announced the find on August 30 following a joint excavation.
The newly unearthed dam, built in the 9th century BC during the reign of either King Joash or King Amaziah, is now considered the largest ancient dam ever discovered in Israel and the oldest known in Jerusalem. The stone structure is enormous—standing roughly 39 feet tall, 69 feet long, and 26 feet wide.
Thanks to twigs and branches preserved in the mortar, researchers dated its construction between 805 and 795 BC.
So what purpose did it serve? Experts believe it was Jerusalem’s ancient answer to a climate crisis.
“The dam was designed to collect waters from the Gihon Spring as well as floodwaters flowing down the main valley of ancient Jerusalem,” the excavation directors explained.
They added: “All the [studied] data pointed to a period of low rainfall in the Land of Israel, interspersed with short and intense storms that could cause flooding. … It follows that the establishment of such large-scale water systems was a direct response to climate change and arid conditions.”
Eli Escusido, director of the IAA, called the discovery “one of the most impressive and significant First Temple-period remains in Jerusalem,” noting: “In recent years, Jerusalem has been revealed more than ever before… and many surprises still await us.”
This revelation follows another major find we reported earlier—an underwater city discovered near the supposed resting place of Noah’s Ark.
Europe’s answer to the mythical Atlantis lies 85 feet beneath Lake Van, near the town of Gevaş, about 150 miles from Mount Ararat, where Noah’s Ark is believed to have come to rest after the great flood.
Source: unilad.com