Dr Anne E Bailey

A historic 2000 year-old stone staircase and pilgrimage road in Jerusalem, photographed around 1900 by the pioneer photographer Khalil Raad (one of the earliest and most prominent local photographers active in Palestine during the late 19th and early 20th centuries).... A historical documentation of ancient stone steps uncovered during early excavations in Jerusalem, commonly attributed to the Second Temple period. These stone steps formed part of the landscape of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period, when large numbers of Jewish pilgrims traveled to the city from across the Land of Israel and beyond. These stone pathways and steps were used by Jewish pilgrims traveling up toward the Temple Mount area or connecting ancient parts of the city. Three times a year, during Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot, Jewish pilgrims made the journey to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. Jerusalem was the religious and national center of Jewish life. Then came the Romans. In 70 CE, Roman forces under Titus captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple. Much of the city was devastated, and the world in which these stones had been used disappeared. But the stones remained. Around 1900, they were photographed during excavations in the Kidron Valley. #archaeohistories