Page 8 - Holyland Magazine - 2016 Edition

Drawing of King Herod's palace and pools.
to the Old City. The museum itself allows
visitors to walk through the guardrooms of
the citadel, learning about the history of the
city in its permanent exhibition. From the
stone bridge that links the entrance gate to
the citadel, visitors can enter the dry moat
and walk down the impressive Herodian
steps, leading into what would have been
the lavish pool connected to King Herod’s
palace, before heading up into the Kishle.
Finally able to make the finds partially
accessible with much-needed funding,
Lieber said the museum was happy to invite
people to touch and see history. But, she
said, “This is just the first stage.”
The museum has plans to expand their
offerings at the site. The hope is to use
multi-media technology in the future to
allow people to experience the history of the
magnificent period of Herod more vividly.
Already, a 3D screen at the Herodian pool
allows visitors to see the grandeur of the
palace complex 2,000 years ago.
Over the past years, Rev. David Pileggi, whose
Anglican church is close to the museum,
has witnessed a growing number of pilgrims
coming to visit the site. Because of its location
and architectural integrity, the site makes it
easier for pilgrims to envision the events of
Jesus’ life taking place there, he said. It gives a can come here and learn more about its very
“sense of Roman power,” he noted.
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Tower of David Museum
“It helps put the Gospels into proper historical Kishle building as a prison during the British
context of what life was like for Jewish people Mandate. Tower of David Museum
in the First Century and how they suffered
under Roman imperial domination. The Via
Dolorosa will continue to be popular…but for
those pilgrims who want a little bit to connect
with the actual history and geography of
the life of Jesus, these findings are a very
positive development,” said Pileggi. “For
us, it is very special and sobering to realize
that on a daily basis, we are sitting across
from the beginning and almost the end of
the Gospel’s story. Of course, the end of the
story is Jesus’ resurrection. The museum is
a treasure for Jerusalem.”
Lieber said the museum wants to expand
the discussion about Jerusalem of the
Second Temple period through research and
archaeology.
“Pilgrims and tourists can visit the Tower
of David Museum to see the remains,
understand the topography and geography
of the place, and rethink and try to understand
what happened here 2,000 years ago,” she
said. “For me, Jerusalem is a huge mystery.
There’s still a lot to discover. Everywhere you
turn in Jerusalem, you can find a jewel, and
it’s my job to polish these jewels and allow
people to enjoy them. I love this city, and it
belongs to everybody who loves it. People
deep roots.”