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The city of Jerusalem is known for its various tourist spots of historical
importance; Hezekiah's Tunnel in Jerusalem is one of such attractions.
Regarded as one of the greatest works of water engineering in the pre-classical
period, this tunnel goes underneath Ophel in Jerusalem. The construction time
is about 701 BC during the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah.
The main aim for which the Hezekiah’s Tunnel in Jerusalem was built was to
act as an aqueduct and provide Jerusalem with water. Therefore the Hezekiah’s
Tunnel in Jerusalem starts from the Gihon Spring and ends in the Pool of Siloam.
Hezekiah made this tunnel when the Assyrians under Sennacherib led a siege on
his kingdom. When you look at the Hezekiah’s Tunnel in Jerusalem then you will
find that the curving tunnel is 533m long and has a 30 cm gradient altitude
difference between each end.
Anyone interested in knowing about the engineering of the Hezekiah's Tunnel
in Jerusalem, discovered in 1838 by the Edward Robinson, would be surprised
by knowing that it was excavated by two teams. They started at each end and
finally met in the middle. However, some recent findings tell us that the tunnel
was possibly formed by widening a pre-existing natural karst.
The location of Jerusalem is on a mountain and therefore it was invincible
from all the sides, but the only drawback was lack of water. Gihon Spring was
the main source of water, and it lay outside the city walls. In case of any
attack on the city, the main danger of the city was death from thirst. However,
the Warren’s shaft was there from earlier period, but it had its shortcomings.
It was not an aqueduct and therefore Hezekiah, paranoid of an impending Assyrian
siege decided to block the spring and divert it through a channel to the Pool
of Siloam.
However, the discovery of another tunnel near the area was also found later
and then it was proved that Hezekiah’s Tunnel in Jerusalem basically acted as
a replacement of this channel. Still Hezekiah’s Tunnel in Jerusalem is a spot
which attracts millions of tourists who wonder about the accomplishment of this
engineering work in Jerusalem.
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