Image Details
Courtesy Benjamin Mazar, Archaeological Expedition of the Hebrew University and the Israel Exploration Society near the Temple Mount
This pier supported the free end of Robinson’s arch; the other end of the arch curved out from the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount. Robinson’s Arch is part of the stone structure supporting a monumental stairway which descended from the Temple Mount to the valley below. Beneath the arch a paved street passed parallel to the row of rectangular blocks capped with semi-circular stones. In the picture, the foreground rubble covers this pavement.
Below the pier (where a girl stands) is a row of rooms. From the stone vessels, weights, pottery, and coins found in these rooms, archaeologists concluded that these were shops where pilgrims traded on their visit to Jerusalem.