We already had a glimpse into the Southern Wall Excavations when we left the City of David. We walked along an ancient road that was discovered. Pilgrims would walk on this road toward the Temple when they came. On this road was a market place where one could buy goats, sheep, oil and flour. We pictured ourselves on our way. It was amazing to think that we were walking on the same road that our great, great ancestors walked on.
The Southern Wall Excavations are located on the corner of the walls. One can see ancient mikvaot were Jews would purify themselves before going up the steps. The ancient mikvah had two sets of steps. One way to walk in and another way to walk out. We saw an archway that existed during the 2nd temple. It is called Davidson’s arch in honor of the British archeologist that found it. This arch was part of a walkway for people to enter. Now, as one sits outside the southern wall one can see large broken stones from the 2nd Temple era.
It was here that a Chohain would blow the trumpet each Friday to alert the city that it was time for Shabbat. A special stone was found engraved with the words that told about this trumpeter. Today in Yerushalayim there are 2 sirens that you hear before Shabbat. As we walked to the Kotel we heard them on Friday night.
We sat on the steps outside the Chulda gate, named for one of the prophetess from the First temple Era. The steps are designed in a special manner. They are not like the 135 steps we climbed in Tzefat. The steps are designed to be short and then long. This was one cannot run up the steps like we did in Tzefat. When one approaches the temple, it should be with thought and patience.