1,500-year-Old Cistern Under Jerusalem Playground Could Open to the Public

Photo Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority.

The Jerusalem Municipality began renovating a playground on Wednesday in the Katamon neighborhood, where a 1,500-year-old water cistern uncovered then more than a decade ago might now become a national site.

Discovered in 2005 as a well-preserved relic, the cistern was approximately half the size of an Olympic-sized pool, according to documentation by now-retired Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Uzi Dahari and engineer Ofer Cohen.

The cistern measures 2,422 square feet in area, its maximum volume is around 300,000 gallons.