Archaeologists in Israel’s capital recently uncovered a vast defensive trench that once surrounded the city, which was exposed by preparations for a major infrastructure overhaul. Joanie Margulies writes:
Construction revealed the ancient moat, which measures approximately ten meters (33 feet) wide and between two and seven meters (6.5-23 feet) deep. The moat surrounded the Old City of Jerusalem in its entirety. The 1,000-year-old moat was accompanied by handprints adjacent to the structure.
Zubair Adawi, director of the excavations at the IAA, uncovered the moat and handprints underneath Sultan Suleiman Street. “Moats, usually filled with water, are well-known from fortifications and castles in Europe, but here the moat was dry, its width and depth presenting an obstacle slowing down the attacking army,” Adawi said.
The moat is believed to have kept the First Crusaders from breaching the city. Historians writing during the age of the First Crusade placed the fighters at the walls of Jerusalem in June 1099. It took the fighters approximately five weeks to cross the moat after tedious strategic planning, archaeologists involved with the excavation said.
After finally crossing, Crusaders were met with force and bloodshed by Jews and Muslims defending the city.
Read more on Jerusalem Post: https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-729562