The Jerusalem Archaeological Park

The Temple Mount Excavations, Robinson��s Arch,

The Ophel -Archaeological Garden.

The Jerusalem Archaeological Park reveals the most amazing discoveries of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period.  At the feet of the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount, in the area known as the Ophel, the visitor can climb up the original steps of the Hulda Gates that lead to the Temple Mount.

At the southern edge of the Western Wall, on the Herodian Street, next to the stores, huge stones, fallen remains from the Western Wall can be seen, a remembrance of the destruction.  The mighty staircase supported by Robinson��s Arch towered above the street, the most ancient intersection from which thousands of pilgrims ascended the monumental staircase heading through the Hulda gates to the Temple courts, after purifying in one of the many ritual baths found in the area.

Other attractions at the site:

��Roman and Byzantine residences ��Remains of the Umayyad Palaces from the early Islamic period ��The corner of the Wall of the City of David and a huge impressive tower with an amazing unique observation point at its top built by the Fatimad Sultan and renovated by the Crusaders, the Ayyubids, and the Mamluks.

The Davidson Center

The Davidson Exhibition and Virtual Reconstruction Center is located in the Umayyad Palace complex situated in the Jerusalem Archaeological Park.  It is an archaeological tourist site exhibiting the history of the Temple Mount.  It combines an exhibition of archaeological content through various means: computerized mediums, artifacts exhibitions, and an illustrated and visual exhibition.  The visitor to the center will be able to learn about 2,000 years of archaeology through the display of archaeological discoveries.

The Davidson Center consists on a succession of galleries leading the visitor down circular ramps thorough a sequence of ancient periods.  The gradual descent allows the visitor the opportunity to experience the passage of time through changing levels of stone followed by an exhibit of recently excavated archaeological objects from the Second Temple period, the Byzantine period and the Umayyad period.

One of the highlights of this modern facility is a real-time virtual reality reconstruction of the Herodian Temple Mount as it stood prior to its destruction.

Also in the center are two films: ��The History of Archaeology�� �C A documentary film (4 minutes long) presents the story of 150 years of excavations in the precincts of the archaeological park, beginning with the excavations of the Palestine Exploration Fund in the second half of the nineteenth century, and ending with the ongoing excavation at the site. Excavator of the site Dr. Ronny Reich narrates the history.

��The Story of a pilgrim" �C unique high definition, 10 minute long digital video, describing Jewish pilgrimage to Jerusalem during the Second Temple period.  The video includes footage from the virtual reconstruction model of the Temple Mount.