Inside Hezekiah's Tunnel |
We entered the tunnel single file. The tunnel was only wide enough for one person to walk. As we stepped into the tunnel the water was pretty cold and went to about my knees. As we begin walking the temperature became more comfortable and the depth of the water subsided. The height of the tunnel changed drastically. Some areas we had to crouch and other times the top was a few feet above our heads. Fortunately there was no one close behind me, so I was able to walk at my own pace and take in what I saw. Albeit we were in the tunnel for about 20 minutes, so there was a lot of time to experience it. It was pretty dark as well but most of us had flashlights in addition to cameras. I videotaped the whole walk with someone's flip video camera. They had warned us that if were claustrophobic we may not enjoy the tunnel and there were some people in our group who were claustrophobic and were anxious to get out right away. I am a bit that way too, but I wasn't stationary and alone in a dark small space so I was alright.
A few facts about Hezekiah's Tunnel: It is 1750 ft long, considered a great example of water engineering for its time. Was constructed by one group starting at one end and another group at the other end finding their way to the middle. Thus that is why it is not perfectly straight and the width and height are sometimes drastic.
Display showing water level in Hezekiah's Tunnel |
Class Time! God's amazing design even over the weather pattern, geography and geology helped secure water for Jerusalem which was amidst dry land. We learned about the Eocene, Senonian and Cenomanian strata deposits. These layers or deposits are highly influenced by the rain shadow that is present in the east. The storms from the Mediterranean come from the west and the presence of the Mt. of Olives and Watershed Ridge allow for rain to continue in Jerusalem. The rain shadow thus appears on the eastern side of the hills.
Getting Ready to enter the Tunnel |
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