"...the city shall be rebuilt on its mound, and the fortress in its proper place" (Jeremiah 30:18)

The inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem once built their homes on this hillside. The earliest structure unearthed here was part of an enormous Stepped Stone Structure that supported King David's Palace or the Canaanite fortress that preceded it. In the early First Temple period, stately homes and an official archive were built upon the Stepped Stone Structure. Remains of these buildings were uncovered in excavations conducted by Yigal Shiloh (1978-1985). The opulent character of the homes and the nature of the artifacts found within them indicate that they belonged to Jerusalem's elite, some of whom served as royal functionaries. The Royal Quarter went up in flames when the city was destroyed by the Babylonians (586 BCE). In the early Second Temple period, the returnees to Zion rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in the upper part of the excavated area, leaving the ruins before you outside the city.

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The Large Stone Structure
The Burnt Room and the House of the Bullae
The House of Ahiel
Beit Hatzofeh Lookout
The Water System
Double Gate Monumental Stairs and Observation Plaza
Ritual Baths and Water Conduits
Western Wall
The Pool of Shiloah (Siloam)
Absalom's Tomb

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