Jerusalem Old City tunnels receive international recognition
The tunnels earned the top spot in the "Oddities of the Underground" category unique to the 2020 ITA Tunneling Awards.
By Jerusalem Post Staff, December 25, 2020
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The tunnels beneath the Western Wall. (photo credit: ABIR SULTAN/FLASH90) |
The archaeological tunnels and excavations
of Jerusalem's Old City received recognition from the International
Tunneling and Underground Space Association (ITA) this year, during the
ITA's most recent award ceremony.
The tunnels earned the top spot in the "Oddities of the Underground" category unique to the ITA Tunneling Awards.
The 2020 awards, given out virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic,
were focused on various innovations and accomplishments in the field of
tunneling. Awards are not purely archaeological in nature, and in fact
most of the eight categories were given to projects related to railroads
and construction.
But Israel's project is very archaeologically focused, especially given the rich history that lies beneath the surface of much of the country, especially in cities thousands of years old like Jerusalem.
And it is in Jerusalem where much of the real innovation in archaeological tunneling can be seen.
The awarding body placed the tunnels in the oddities category, considering the excavations attracts millions of tourists each year - putting the findings on full display - even while "the entire extent of the archaeological site has not yet been fully explored."
The process in which the tunnels are made, and then made available to the public also earned the archaeological site consideration within the category.
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Western Wall synagogue that opened on December 19, 2017 (photo credit: WESTERN WALL HERITAGE FOUNDATION) |
"Tunnel design and building expertise in soft grounds and archaeological
fill is required in order to proceed with the excavations and make the
site accessible to the public," the ITA said on its website. "Excavation
is carried out underground, manually, using steel ribs and steel plates
as temporary and permanent support.
"The sensitive environment demands great dexterity and flexibility."
The Western Wall Tunnels 360 LIVE, Apr 5, 2020
Additionally, the unique manner in which the findings of the site are
collected and the technologies used to carry out the excavations
forwarded the tunnels' place within the category.
"Due to site complexity derived from small excavation area and risks of shallow tunneling in urbanarea, special excavation technologies are executed, such as custom-made drill machines adapted tosmall spaces," the awarding body said. "In addition to that, special measures are to be taken in order to consider the archaeological findings and to protect them during excavation.
"Unlike conventional excavation in which the muck is being moved away, the nature of this project is to keep the muck for further research by scientists."
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| Well done the Archaeologists of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation |
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