Zedekiah's Cave

Highlights on Zedekiah's Cave

9000 square meters of legends lies beneath the houses of the Old City of Jerusalem, where is the huge and breathtaking Cave of Zedekiah, the quarry from which the stones of the Temple were hewn.

Background information on Zedekiah's Cave

This mysterious cave located east of Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem goes back about 1,000 feet under the northern Old City wall, and about 2,000 years in history. Make that 2,600 years, if you include the legend that gave it its name.

It is said that Zedekiah, Jerusalem's last biblical king, a Babylonian puppet deposed of during the final siege on the city, attempted to flee Jerusalem to Jericho through this cave.

He was captured and brought before the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, where his sons were murdered in front of him and his eyes were put out (2 Kings 25:1-6).

In keeping with this tragic story, at the back of the cave is a tiny spring, known as "Zedekiah's tears." That is were you discover the cave has no exit; archaeologists tell us that in fact it was a quarry from which Herod the Great hewed stone to build the Temple.

The cave's dramatic lighting reveals signs of the quarrying. In 1868, the first meeting of Freemasons in Ottoman Palestine was held by candlelight in Zedekiah's Cave. Its impressive dimensions have bestowed another traditional name, meaningful to Masons: "King Solomon's Quarries."

Hours of operation of Zedekiah's Cave:

Saturday* to Thursday: 9am - 4pm

Summer time: until 5pm)

Friday: closed.

Holiday eves: 9am - 2pm

*Ticket must be purchased in advance.