Image Details

BALAGE BALOGH / ARCHAEOLOGY ILLUSTRATED

PILGRIMAGE CITY. Pilgrims entering Jerusalem through the city’s southern gate would ascend to the Temple along a paved, stepped street, excavated in recent years by archaeologists. This artistic reconstruction captures the bustling street, which ended at the Ophel—a busy ceremonial and commercial area at the foot of the Temple Mount. During the three major festivals (Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot), thousands of pilgrims poured through this roadway each year.