A section of Jerusalem’s 2,000-year-old Lower Aqueduct, dating to the Hasmonean period, uncovered during archaeological excavations near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, October 2026. Photo: Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority.

Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a remarkably preserved, 2,000-year-old aqueduct that once supplied water to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, revealing an extraordinary feat of ancient Jewish engineering that remained in use for nearly two millennia.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Sunday that excavations near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, south of Jerusalem, had exposed a 300-meter (984-foot) section of the city’s ancient Lower Aqueduct, believed to have been constructed during the Hasmonean dynasty in the Second Temple period.

The discovery offers a rare glimpse into the ingenuity of Jerusalem’s ancient inhabitants, who devised a sophisticated system to transport fresh water across more than 20 kilometers of rugged terrain — entirely without pumps or mechanical assistance.

“The Lower Aqueduct was an impressive engineering project, probably built in the time of the Hasmonean kings to supply water to Jerusalem,” said excavation directors Dr. Benyamin Storchan and Gil Freid.

“The system was so well planned that it remained in intermittent use until about 100 years ago,” they added.

The aqueduct transported spring water from the Gush Etzion region through Solomon’s Pools, south of Bethlehem, before reaching Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, where water was essential for religious rituals and the thousands of Jewish pilgrims who visited during major festivals.

Its builders achieved the remarkable feat by carefully following the contours of the landscape, maintaining a gradual descent of approximately one meter per kilometer. The precision allowed water to flow continuously under gravity alone.

“The aqueduct is an engineering marvel,” said Dr. Amit Re’em, the IAA’s Jerusalem District Archaeologist. “Even today, with all our modern technology, building such a system would require extensive planning and effort.”

The newly uncovered section also tells a story of remarkable continuity. Successive generations maintained and improved the ancient infrastructure, including during the Ottoman period, when ceramic pipes were installed inside the original stone channel approximately 500 years ago.

Archaeologists also discovered distinctive plasterwork decorated with small stones, providing evidence of repairs undertaken centuries after the aqueduct’s initial construction.

The excavation was conducted ahead of the development of a new residential neighborhood, but rather than burying the ancient structure beneath modern buildings, Israeli authorities plan to make it a centerpiece of the community.

Under plans developed by the IAA and Israel Land Authority, the aqueduct will be preserved and incorporated into the neighborhood’s main entrance, allowing residents and visitors to encounter a tangible piece of Jerusalem’s ancient history.

The discovery has also renewed ambitions for an archaeological park extending from southern Jerusalem toward the Old City, enabling visitors to walk alongside portions of the ancient waterway.

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu hailed the discovery as evidence of the Hasmonean rulers’ foresight in accommodating Jerusalem’s growing population and the pilgrims who flocked to the Temple.

The findings will be presented at an archaeological conference this week, bringing renewed attention to an ancient engineering achievement that helped sustain Jerusalem for centuries.