Frommer's Review
The Jerusalem Archeological Park just outside the southern wall of the Temple Mount offers an opportunity to explore the monumental ruins of the Herodian Temple Complex that have been uncovered here during the past 3 decades. When the Temple was in existence (before A.D. 70), the southern wall of the Temple Mount was the main route for approaching the Temple. A broad staircase, mentioned in Talmudic writings, led to an esplanade, and two sets of gates in the southern wall. From the gates, pilgrims would have proceeded through tunnels that dramatically emerged onto the surface of the sacred enclosure not far from the Temple building itself. Visitors to the park can now stand on the Broad Stairs (the gates are now blocked by later construction, but traces are still visible) and walk on the Herodian market street that ran along the western side of the Temple Mount. They can also explore the ruins of Herodian-era shops along the market street (they were part of the complex and rents may have gone toward the upkeep of the Temple Mount), and see where the great staircase to the Temple Mount once stood, supported by a series of arches that spanned the market street below. The excavations have also uncovered Byzantine-era structures that once stood beside the partly destroyed southern wall of the Temple Mount, and the impressive walls of early Islamic palaces (ca. 8th c. A.D.) that took their place.
The recently opened Davidson Exhibition Center at the Archeological Park gives you the chance to take a virtual tour of the Temple Mount as archaeologists believe it might have appeared to a pilgrim in Herodian times (late 1st c. B.C. until the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70). Located in the ruins of an early 8th-century Islamic palace uncovered by archaeologists at the foot of the Temple Mount, the Davidson Center contains a small museum with artifacts found at the site, as well as videos and computer information on the Temple Mount's history. The video and digital re-creation of the Herodian Temple Mount are interesting, but there are a number of anachronistic and questionable details. See if you can spot them! There are 1-hour tours available of the Davidson Center (which is already relatively self-explanatory) and also of the Archeological Park (worthwhile for those who want to understand all the details of the site). Each tour is $32 per person. But a map and recorded audio tour of the site, available at the Davidson Center, is sufficient for most visitors.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
