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THE NEW OPHEL EXCAVATIONS, HEBREW UNIVERSITY

APPROACHING THE TEMPLE. During the late Second Temple period (first century BCE–first century CE), thousands of Jewish pilgrims journeyed to the Jerusalem Temple to observe the annual religious festivals. Before reaching the sacred precinct, pilgrims first passed through the Ophel, a busy ceremonial and commercial area just south of the Temple Mount where they could purify themselves in stepped pools (including the large pool at the bottom of the photo) but also exchange money, buy sacrificial animals, and meet fellow pilgrims. New excavations just outside the walls of the Old City have revealed fresh insights into the pilgrimage practices that took place near the Temple gates.