Israel Adventure: Temple Mount Sifting Project and Tower of David

Just one more post after this one and I will be done telling you about our Israel adventure. I wish it could have gone on forever!

On the Wednesday of our trip, we had a reservation with the Temple Mount Sifting Project. This is an amazing archaeological project that allows volunteers to come in and help with the sifting. The project is a result of an illegal dig in the 1990s that took place on the Temple Mount. The rubble that was dug out was recovered and is being meticulously sifted for artifacts. The project is located on the Mount of Olives. After we arrived, they gave us a very interesting history lesson about Jerusalem and the Temple, and then instructed us on how to do the sifting and what we should be looking for. We dumped a bucket of muddy stuff onto a screen, rinsed it off, and began our search.

At first, everything looked like just a bunch of rocks!

But there were experts there to help us, and after a while we were able to start picking things out.

And then we actually found some things! Bits of pottery, square mosaic pieces, and bones were among our findings.  Haley and Rebecca found a piece of tile from the Byzantine period, and Robert and I found a piece of glazed pottery from the Crusade period, and a piece of stucco from the Second Temple period!

It was so much fun, and very exciting to find actual artifacts!

Later that day we went to the Tower of David Museum, near the Jaffa Gate. It was very interesting. There are exhibits both inside and outside. We stayed mostly inside because it was raining, but it was still well worth our time to go there.

Tower of David Museum

It was cold and rainy

Then we enjoyed wandering through the different quarters of the old city some more.

Mural in the Jewish Quarter

In the Christian Quarter

Then we warmed up with some delicious mochas at "Aroma". Not quite as good as Starbucks, but still very yummy! (And they give you a little chocolate bar with your coffee!)

It was another great day in Israel. Only one more to go.

Coming up next...Machane Yehuda, the Israel Museum, and Tel Aviv