A couple of weeks ago I was walking through the Muslim Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem when I saw the flag of the Israel Antiquities Authority waving from a rooftop. I thought it odd and so snapped a couple of pictures. I guessed that one of the ultra-religious/nationalistic groups owned some property there and was having an excavation done before renovations and construction. But I knew nothing else and didn’t have time to investigate. Now Haaretz has a story about it. In short, they excavated about 40 feet (12 m) down and 65 feet (20 m) across, including underneath some people’s houses. Those people aren’t too thrilled with it. Will they find anything of interest? My guess is that they won’t, because the earlier material is way below the surface, especially in this area which is in the Central Valley.
In the photo you can see the blue flag of the Antiquities Authority and the tarp which keeps the sun off of the workers. The street below is el-Wad (the Valley) Street, just north of the Western Wall prayer plaza.