Broad Wall in Jerusalem

Jerusalem is known to be a place of huge archaeological importance. On a trip to Jerusalem you will find the place to be full of archaeologists still carrying on excavations for finding out any interesting architecture relating to the Old Testament.

Broad Wall in Jerusalem is one such sight. It is a sight of not only major historical importance but also of major religious importance. Excavated in the 1970s this is actually a portion of the 23-feet thick and still 10 feet tall wall of the Old City. Even thought there are differences among the scholars, yet a large portion of them believes that it, along with the Siloam Tunnel were built by Hezekiah, King of Judah, in 701 BC. Before the Broad Wall in Jerusalem was built only The Ophel and the temple mount was there within the city walls.

The purpose of building the Broad Wall in Jerusalem was for protecting the city against the Assyrians when Judah rebelled against Assyria. The reason for which the problem started was Hezekiah, the contemporary of prophet Isaiah refused to pay tribute to the king of Assyria, Sennacherib. In the 2 Chronicles 32:3-5 and 2 Kings 20:20, the chronicler praised Hezekiah for the marvelous building work that he has done but according to some other scholars Hezekiah was severely rebuked him for carrying out this construction since many residential buildings were destroyed for fortifying this wall. Moreover Hezekiah never credited those who helped him in building the Siloam Tunnel.

When the Broad Wall in Jerusalem was unearthed by Avigad in 1970, it ended the dispute among the historians regarding the size of the Jerusalem as described in the Old Testament. A very old map in the Old Testament showed the Old City to be much larger in size than it was when it was unearthed, therefore the excavation helped in ending and solving an historical puzzle.
So, on your trip to Jerusalem, your must visit destination should be the Broad Wall in Jerusalem.