JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Archaeologists have uncovered a 300-meter section of Jerusalem’s Lower Aqueduct, an ancient water system built during the Hasmonean period that carried water from Solomon’s Pools near Bethlehem to the Temple Mount.

The Israel Antiquities Authority excavated the section south of Kibbutz Ramat Rachel ahead of plans by the Israel Land Authority to build a new Jerusalem neighborhood.

The aqueduct was part of an approximately 21-kilometer system that transported spring water from the Gush Etzion area to Jerusalem. Designed to operate by gravity, it maintained a gradual downward slope of about one meter per kilometer, allowing water to flow without pumps.

“The Lower Aqueduct was an impressive engineering project, probably built in the time of the Hasmonean kings to supply water to Jerusalem,” said Benyamin Storchan and Gil Freid, the excavation directors for the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The system remained in intermittent use until about 100 years ago, they said.

Researchers found evidence of different stages of the aqueduct’s use and maintenance. The original water channel was built and plastered, while ceramic pipes were installed inside it during the Ottoman period about 500 years ago. Workers also plastered the aqueduct’s exterior walls and pressed small stones into the wet plaster.

The discoveries illustrate how the water system was repeatedly repaired to maintain Jerusalem’s water supply over centuries.

Amit Re’em, the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Jerusalem district archaeologist, described the aqueduct as an engineering achievement that required careful planning long before modern technology.

The authority hopes to develop a continuous park allowing visitors to walk alongside the aqueduct from southern Jerusalem toward the Old City. The initiative is being advanced with the Jerusalem Municipality and other partners.

Under current plans, the newly uncovered section will be incorporated into the main entrance of the planned neighborhood and made accessible to the public.

Yehuda Eliyahu, acting director of the Israel Land Authority, said the project would combine urban development with the preservation of Jerusalem’s historical heritage.

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the aqueduct reflected the Hasmonean rulers’ efforts to expand Jerusalem’s capacity to accommodate residents, pilgrims and public life around the Temple.

The research will be presented this week at the 19th annual “New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and Its Region” conference, organized by the Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tagliyot — Israel Institute of Archaeology.