New visitor center planned for Broad Wall in Jerusalem's Old City
The Broad Wall was built in 701 BC by King Hezekiah to protect Jerusalem against the conquest by the Assyrian king, Sennacherib.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFNew visitor center planned for Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem(photo credit: THE COMPANY FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE JEWISH QUARTER IN THE OLD CITY OF JERUSALE)
A new visitor center including an educational hologram exhibit planned for the "Broad Wall" archaeological site was approved by the Jerusalem Local Planning and Building Committee on Wednesday.
The visitor center will be located along an unearthed section of the Broad Wall fortification built by King Hezekiah in what is now the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.The center, a project initiated by the Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, will educate visitors about the period in which the wall was built and preserve visual accessibility of the site to the general public.
A hologram will bring the visitors into the spirit of the period, including the tension leading up to the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, the fortifications and preparations made by Hezekiah ahead of the siege, the buildings demolished because they stood in the path of the wall and the guard tower that towered over the wall in order to tell the story of the war with the Assyrians. Another popular archaeological site, Hezekiah's water tunnel in the City of David, was also built as part of preparations for the siege.
Current view of the "Broad Wall" site in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem (Credit: The Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem)
"I am happy about the approval of the 'Broad Wall' program, which will reveal to the general public another gem of history from Jerusalem of yesteryear," said Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion. "The wall, which was built by King Hezekiah, stood against the breach and Jerusalem was not conquered. It's time to give it the respect it deserves."
Visitor center planned for the "Broad Wall" site in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem (Credit: The Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem)
The project will move forwards for approval by the regional planning committee and, if approved, is planned to take six months to complete.
"We appreciate and value the work of the municipality and the mayor to promote this important project, and the rest of the projects for the development of the tourist and urban space," said Herzl Ben Ari, CEO of the Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. "According to our plan, six months after receiving the building permit, we will finish and inaugurate the project. In addition, it is important for us to express great appreciation to the staff of the Jerusalem Ministry who is a full partner in this project and other projects."
The Broad Wall, built in 701 BC, was uncovered in 1970 and helped settle a debate among archaeologists about the borders of Jerusalem during the First Temple period.
