Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta) |
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Posted: 05 Jan 2014
This is a picture of "Gei Hinnom" (the Hinnom Valley) in Jerusalem, beneath the walls of the Old City. Today, few residents or tourists know about the history of the area called "Breichat HaSultan (the Sultan's Pool), except for the occasional concert in the amphitheater. As we researched the picture, however, we discovered that the pool and cattle market were the frequent focus of photographers a century ago.
The Valley of Ben-Hinnom is mentioned repeatedly in the Bible, serving as a border between tribes of Judah and Benjamin. From biblical times it had an infamous reputation as the site of human sacrifices to Molech. The evil perpetrated there made the name "Gei Hinnom," or Gehenna, synonymous with Hell. A dam was built across the valley, possibly at the time of the Second Temple, with a road on top that passed between Mt. Zion and the opposite hill (eventually Mishkenot HaSha'ananim). The reservoir created by the dam measured 169 meters by 67meters, with a depth of 12 meters. The road became one of the principle routes to Jerusalem from the south. Suleiman the Magnificent built a sabil fountain on the dam, and it still exists today.
A sheep market was located on the opposite side of Jerusalem's Old City at Herod's Gate, which can be viewed here. After the 1948 war between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the valley was a desolate no-man's zone between Jordan and Israel.
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