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Solomon's Pools
Solomon's Pools
Location	Bethlehem, Palestine
Type	Reservoir
Managing agency	Palestinian Authority

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Solomon's Pools (Arabic: برك سليمان, romanized: Burak Sulaymān, or in short el-Burak, 'the pools'; Hebrew: בריכות שלמה, romanized: Breichot Shlomo) are three ancient reservoirs located in the south-central West Bank, immediately to the south of al-Khader, about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) southwest of Bethlehem, near the road to Hebron.^[1]^[2] The pools are located in Area A of the West Bank under the control of the Palestinian National Authority.^[3]

Solomon's Pools provided the water for two aqueducts that delivered water to Jerusalem during the late Second Temple period.^[4] The first one, known as the "Low-level Aqueduct," is thought to have been built in the first century BCE, around the end of the Hasmonean period. It delivered water to cisterns located underground beneath the Temple Mount, which were primarily used by the Temple.^[5]^[6] A second aqueduct, the "High-Level Aqueduct," took a similar path, but it is uncertain where it ended up in Jerusalem. It might have provided water to Herod's Palace.^[4] The Herodium also received water from the Solomon's Pools.^[7]

Name

Although the pools are named and traditionally associated with King Solomon, scholars today believe the pools to be much younger, with the oldest part dating to the 2nd century BCE.^[8]^[9] The masonry of one pool and a recently discovered aqueduct have been dated to the early Roman period.

The pools are named and traditionally associated with King Solomon^[2] and linked to the passage in the Book of Ecclesiastes 2.6: "I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees." Josephus wrote that Solomon enjoyed the beauty of the water-rich "Etham" (one of the main springs is called Ein Eitam = Hebrew: עין עיטם).^[10]^[11] The pools are in close proximity to the ancient town of ʻEiṭam (now Khirbet al-Khuaḥ) and the spring known as ʻAin ʻEiṭam. Legend has it that the king built the pools for his many wives, so that they could bathe in their waters.^[12]

According to Josephus, he would pass this place when riding in his chariot.^[13]^[14]^[15] French explorer Victor Guérin who visited the site in the late 19th-century described the source of the pools and their surrounding villages in Description de la Palestine.^[16]

Description

Pools and aqueducts

Solomon's Pools, consisting of three large reservoirs, are situated several dozen meters apart, each pool with a roughly 6 metres (20 ft) drop to the next. They are rectangular or trapezoidal in shape, partly hewn into the bedrock and partly built, between 118 and 179 metres (387–587 ft) long and 8 to 23 metres (26–75 ft) deep, with a total capacity of well over a quarter of a million cubic metres (some 290,000 m³ or 75 million US gallons).^[9]^{[nb 1]}

The complex of reservoirs and water conduits might have been built by Herod the Great or an earlier Hasmonean ruler. The original rectangular excavations may have been stone quarries. The pools were fed by two aqueducts bringing water to the pools from the hills to the south; by several springs of the surrounding countryside including one situated underneath the lower pool; as well as by rainwater that descended from the hills. The pools served as a storage and distribution facility. The collected water was distributed by three other aqueducts: two leading from the pools northwards to Jerusalem, and the third heading eastwards to the Herodium. Traces of all five aqueducts have been found.^[9]

The pools are positioned so that the water from the high pool can flow into the lower pool next to it when the water is pumped from it. By way of an aqueduct, the water first flowed to Bethlehem, passed through an underground channel, and finally reached the Temple Mount area of Jerusalem.^[17] From the pools to Bethlehem, the average drop is about 35 cm for every 270 meters, but from Bethlehem to Jerusalem it only averages 35 cm for every 1,700 meters.^[17] The length of the extant aqueduct is about 2,350 meters and the slope's gradient is about 11 meters, which means a drop of less than 85 cm for every 1,600 meters.^[17]

In olden times,^[when?] this aqueduct, commonly called the "Lower Aqueduct," crossed the Valley of Hinnom slightly above the Sultan's Pool and passed through a number of pointed arches protruding slightly above the ground.^[18] Afterwards, the aqueduct continued to meander on the southern slope of Mount Zion and entered the city near the present Jewish Quarter of the Old City.^[18] It then ran along the eastern side of that hill, and was supported in part by stonework, while in other parts passed through a conduit carved from the rock, until it suddenly turned east, passed along the embankment and what is now known as Wilson's Arch, whence it entered the Temple Mount courtyard at the Chain Gate.^[18]

Today, below the middle pool are the remains of the British pump station that took the water by pipe to the Old City of Jerusalem. Another, more recent pumping station below the lower pool is still providing water to the town of Bethlehem.^[9]

Turkish fort; museum

Near the Upper Pool stands a small Turkish fort known as Qal'at el-Burak, 'Castle of the Pools', or Qal'at Murad, 'castle of [Sultan] Murad', known in English as Murad or Burak Castle. The rectangular structure with four square corner towers was built by the Ottoman sultan Osman II in 1618.^[19] It served as barracks for the Turkish soldiers guarding the Pools of Solomon and the commercial caravans between Jerusalem and Hebron, as well as a staging post on the local hajj route to Mecca. For a long time it was also used as a caravanserai or khan. After being allowed to decay since the middle of the 19th century, the ruined fortress has been largely rebuilt and developed as part of a new tourist complex.^[19]^[1]^[20]

The Castle Museum houses one of the largest ethnographic collections of Palestinian history and culture.^[21]^[22]

History

Background

The water system gradually created consisted of two aqueducts feeding the pools, which themselves acted as a collection and distribution facility, and of three further aqueducts: two carrying the water north to Jerusalem, and a third one to Herodium. Together, the five aqueducts totalled some 80 kilometres in length.^[9]

Upper pools

The construction date of the upper (westernmost) two pools is uncertain but was probably started during the Hasmonean period, between mid-second and mid-first century BC and completed by Herod the Great in connection with his rebuilding program of the Second Temple.^[1]

Low-Level Aqueduct

The Low-Level Aqueduct is thought to have been built in the first century BCE, around the end of the Hasmonean period.^[5]^[6] The aqueduct began at the lower pool and, after traveling to Jerusalem, climbed a bridge over the Tyropoeon Valley to reach the Temple Mount platform, where it ended inside the cisterns hidden underneath its surface. Water delivered by this aqueduct were primarily used by the Second Temple.^[4]

On the surface of the aqueduct, archeologists discovered two prutah coins - one was minted by Alexander Jannaeus and the other one by Herod - along with a fragment of a roof tile bearing a stamped impression of Legio X Fretensis.^[23]

High-Level Aqueduct

The High Level Aqueduct originated in the upper pool and followed a similar route to the Low Level Aqueduct. However, its precise destination in Jerusalem is unknown. Scholars speculate that it might have supplied water to Herod's Palace, which according to ancient sources, was particularly well-known for its water fountains.^[4]

Wadi el-Byiar Aqueduct

Herod created the sophisticated Wadi el-Byiar Aqueduct, which fed the upper pool. The aqueduct was partially built as a tunnel which collected underground water from the aquifer it was passing through, in the way of a qanat, to supplement the spring water and surface runoff it was also carrying.^[9]

Pilate's Arrub Aqueduct

In a third phase, Roman prefect Pontius Pilate built 39 kilometres (24 mi) of aqueduct bringing yet more water to Solomon's Pools from the large collection pools at Arrub to the south.^[24] This aqueduct, which brought water to Jerusalem, was paid for by Pontius Pilate at the expense of the Temple treasury, which act in itself incited the anger of the local people.^[25] The aqueduct was destroyed during the First Jewish-Roman War.^[25]

Mamluk lower pool

The lower of the three pools was built in 1483 CE during the reign of Mamluk Sultan Qaytbay.^[1] Between 1480 and 1484 Felix Fabri visited, and noted that beside the middle pool there were: "pavilions and tents, wherein dwelt the architects, clerks of the works, overseers, and masters, who there arranged how the watercourses should be dug through the mountains. Round about these pavilions many Moors and Saracens were running to and fro..."^[26]

Later history

The water system based on Solomon's Pools has provided water to Jerusalem, on and off, for two millennia, all until 1967.^[9]

Major repairs to the water system were done by the 10th Roman Legion, Legio Fretensis during the second century CE, later by the Mamluks, the Ottomans and the British. In 1902 for instance, a new 16 km pipeline to Jerusalem was inaugurated to mark the 60th birthday of the Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid II.^[9]^[27]

Springs feeding the pools

The pools are directly fed by four different springs: the most prominent is 'Ain Saleh, at the head of the Wadi Urtas (Artas), about 200 metres (660 ft) to the north-west of the upper pool.^[28]^[29] The spring water is transferred to the upper pool by a large subterranean passage.^[30] From the same direction comes the water of 'Ain Burak. 'Ain Attan or Ein Eitam is located south-east of the lower pool, while 'Ain Farujeh is right underneath that pool.^[9]

Present day

Today the water from the pools only reaches as far Bethlehem. The aqueduct beyond this was destroyed once taken out of use in 1967.^[9]

In recent decades, the pools have suffered from neglect. Between 1967 and the 1990s, the Nassar quarry, the Arja textile industry, and other nearby enterprises freely drew water from the pools. Six people have drowned in the pools since 1993, and no one has been held accountable. In 2009, the pools still lacked any safety precautions, guards on duty, a fence, or warning signs preventing children from jumping in. As a result, complaints were filed against the ministry of Awqaf, the site's owner, and the Solomon's Pools Tourism Agency, the operating company. A Palestinian court was then consulted on the matter.^[31]

Solomon's Pools have been managed since 2009 by the Convention Palace Company, which also operates Bethlehem Convention Center along with other sites in the area. The Murad Castle, an Ottoman fort at the park's northern gate, has been transformed into a tourist attraction that also includes an ethnographic and history museum and a restaurant with a garden area. Plans for the larger complex include a conference center, recreational spaces and a mosque.^[20]

In 2016, it was reported that a wall of one pool had collapsed.^[3] In 2017, the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem funded a $750,000 restoration project at Solomon's Pools, which were suffering from neglect.^[32]

Notes

^ The dimensions are derived from Mazar 2002; a detailed survey in 2018 established that the Lower Pool is 23 metres (75 ft) deep rather than 16 metres (52 ft). Adams, Letteney & Peers 2019, p. 18

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Mahmoud Hawari; Hamish Auld; Julian Hudson (1 January 2000). "Qal'at al-Burak. A Fort of the Ottoman Period South of Bethlehem". Levant: The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant. 32 (1): 101–120. doi:10.1179/lev.2000.32.1.101. S2CID 162056191.
^ ^a ^b Leeper, J. L. (1903). "Remains of the Temple at Jerusalem". The Biblical World. 22 (5): 340. doi:10.1086/473292. ISSN 0190-3578.
^ ^a ^b Blumenthal, Itay (2016-05-09). "Second Temple era archaeological site suffer serious damage". ynetnews. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gurevich, David (2017-04-03). "The Water Pools and the Pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the Late Second Temple Period". Palestine Exploration Quarterly. 149 (2): 103–134. doi:10.1080/00310328.2017.1310563. ISSN 0031-0328. S2CID 165135217.
^ ^a ^b Mazar, A., 2002. ‘Survey of the Aqueducts to Jerusalem’, in Amit, Patrich, and Hirschfeld 2002. 210-42
^ ^a ^b Billig, Y., 2002. ‘The Low-level Aqueduct to Jerusalem: Recent Discoveries’ in Amit, Patrich, and Hirschfeld 2002, 242-52
^ Garbrecht, Günter; Peleg, Yehuda (1994). "The Water Supply of the Desert Fortresses in the Jordan Valley". The Biblical Archaeologist. 57 (3): 161–170. doi:10.2307/3210411. ISSN 0006-0895. JSTOR 3210411. S2CID 132210394.
^ Allegro, John M. (1964). The Treasure of the Copper Scroll (2 ed.). Garden City, NY: Doubleday. p. 67. OCLC 917557044.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "Solomon's Pools and relating aqueducts, the heart of Jerusalem's past water supply". HYDRIA Project. 2009. Archived from the original on 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
^ Flavius, Josephus Antiquities 8.7.3. (8:179)
^ Burial Places of the Fathers, published by Yehuda Levi Nahum in book: Ṣohar la-ḥasifat ginzei teiman (Heb. צהר לחשיפת גנזי תימן), Tel-Aviv 1986, p. 253, who quotes from an ancient rabbinic source: "Between Beth-Lehem and Hebron is the great pool, being the [water] duct that Hezekiah made, and the pool that he made, and it is [known as] Ein Etam." Rashi, who had not seen Josephus' writings, surmised that Ein Etam was the place known as "the waters of Nephtoah" (cf. Rashi's commentary on Yoma 31a and Zevahim 54b, s.v. עין עיטם); see also Rashi's comments on Joshua 15:8 and Deuteronomy 33.
^ Solomon Pools: Fit for a king, Jerusalem Post
^ Josephus, Antiquities 8.7.3.
^ Biblical Encyclopaedia - Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Period (vol. 6), Bialik Institute: Jerusalem 1950-1988, pp. 186-187
^ D.F. Buhl, Geographie des alten Palästina, Leipzig 1896, p. 92. Buhl's words are as follows (translated from the German): "Southwest of Bethlehem, the channel from the southeast intersects another which comes from a source in the Wadi Biyyar. Where the two channels intersect, there are the famous pools of Solomon, large terraced water reservoirs, also fed by independent springs, namely ʻAin el-Burak on the northwest corner of the upper pool, which connects to another source ʻAin Ṣâliḥ, and of ʻAin Farûğe at the bottom of the lower pool; further down the channel intersects the source of ʻAṭân coming from the southern side of the valley. This source of the ʻAṭân is mentioned in the Talmud as the source ʻEṭâm, although the remark that it was 23 cubits higher than the floor of the Temple court clearly points to the aqueduct. Josephus speaks of the springs in Etan and of Solomon's Gardens there, with which Ecclesiastes 2:5 can be compared."
^ Victor Guérin, Description de la Palestine, Judée, Description de la Judée, Paris 1869, pp. 104–119, 303–309; See: Guérin, Victor (1869). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 1: Judee, pt. 3. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
^ ^a ^b ^c Schiller, Eli [in Hebrew], ed. (1988). Charles Wilson - Jerusalem the Holy City (צ'רלס וילסון - ירושלים העיר הקדושה) (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Ariel. p. 131. OCLC 745100584.
^ ^a ^b ^c Schiller, Eli [in Hebrew], ed. (1988). Charles Wilson - Jerusalem the Holy City (צ'רלס וילסון - ירושלים העיר הקדושה) (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Ariel. pp. 131–132. OCLC 745100584.
^ ^a ^b "Solomon's Pools". Museum With No Frontiers. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Solomon's Poolsi". Solomon's Pools/Kani Mani. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ "THE MURAD CASTLE & THE SOLOMON'S POOLS". VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER – BETHLEHEM. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2019. Solomon's Pools (Beraik Solayman), are located immediately to the south of al-Khader and about 5 km southwest of Bethlehem.
^ "DISCOVER MURAD CASTLE MUSEUM OF THE SOLOMON POOLS". Travelujah. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2019. The Murad Castle Museum features over 1500 precious artifacts representing many chapters of the Palestinian history. The impressive display shows various handicrafts, amulets, pottery and more. Part of a Roman Aqueduct is also displayed in the museum. In addition, a unique collection of archeological items was offered by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
^ Billig, Ya’akov (2014). "Jerusalem, the Lower Aqueduct". Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel. 126. Israel Antiquities Authority.
^ Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome (2008) The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700 Oxford University Press US, ISBN 0-19-923666-6 p 483
^ ^a ^b Amihai Mazar (1972), p. 120
^ Fabri, 1893, p. 202
^ Bussow, 2011, pp. 497, 536
^ List of Geographical Names, (A Memo of the National Committee to the Government of the Land of Israel on the Method of Spelling Transliterated Geographical and Personal Names, plus Two Lists of Geographical Names), Lĕšonénu: A Journal for the Study of the Hebrew Language and Cognate Subjects, Benjamin Maisler, Tel-Aviv 1932, p. 21 (note 1): "The spring of Etam is [called] Ein Etam, but Etam is the ruin of Wadi Khukh, near Artas (Urtas)."
^ See p. 21 (note 1) in: Maisler, Benjamin (1932). "A Memo of the National Committee to the Government of the Land of Israel on the Method of Spelling Transliterated Geographical and Personal Names, plus Two Lists of Geographical Names". Lĕšonénu: A Journal for the Study of the Hebrew Language and Cognate Subjects. 4 (3): 1–92. JSTOR 24384308. (Hebrew)
^ Bromiley Geoffrey W (1995). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: E-J Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, ISBN 0-8028-3782-4 p 1025
^ Srouji, Dima (Spring 2017). "Solomon's Pools: A Patient Framework Awaiting Its Potential" (PDF). Jerusalem Quarterly. No. 69. pp. 98–106. ProQuest 2285087763.
^ Temple-era pools near Jerusalem set for renovation

Bibliography

Adams, Matthew J.; Letteney, Mark; Peers, Max T. B. (2019). "Survey and excavations at Solomon's Pools, Palestine: 2018 preliminary report". Palestine Exploration Quarterly. 151: 15–35. doi:10.1080/00310328.2019.1579454.
Biblical Encyclopaedia (1950-1988). Bialik Institute: Jerusalem OCLC 741065210
Bromiley, G.W. (1995). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. E-J Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 0-8028-3782-4.
Buhl, D.F. (1896). Geographie des alten Palästina. Leipzig: J.C.B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck).
Büssow, J. (2011). Hamidian Palestine: Politics and Society in the District of Jerusalem 1872-1908. BRILL. ISBN 978-9004205697.
Schick, C. (1878). "Die Wasserversorgung der Stadt Jerusalem". Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins. 1: 132–176.
Fabri, F. (1893). Felix Fabri (circa 1480–1483 A.D.) vol II, part I. Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society.
Flavius, Josephus. Antiquities
Guérin, V. (1869). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 1: Judee, pt. 3. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
Mazar, A. (1972). "The Ancient Aqueducts of Jerusalem". Qadmoniot: A Journal for the Antiquities of Eretz-Israel and Bible Lands. 5 (3/4 (19/20)): 120–124. JSTOR 23670359. (Hebrew)
Mazar, A. (2002), "Survey of the Aqueducts to Jerusalem", in Amit, David; Patrich, Joseph; Hirschfeld, Yizhar (eds.), The Aqueducts of Israel, Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplementary Series, pp. 210–42
Murphy-O'Connor, J. (2008). The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700. Oxford University Press US. ISBN 978-0-19-923666-4.
Shomali, Q.; Shomali, Sawsan. A Guide to Bethlehem and its Surroundings. Waldbrol: Flamm Druck, Wagener GMBH.

External links

www.solomonpools.com/ Archived 2014-12-22 at the Wayback Machine
Media related to Solomon's Pools at Wikimedia Commons

31°41′22.5″N 35°10′03.1″E / 31.689583°N 35.167528°E / 31.689583; 35.167528

[17] The dimensions are derived from Mazar 2002; a detailed survey in 2018 established that the Lower Pool is 23 metres (75 ft) deep rather than 16 metres (52 ft). Adams, Letteney & Peers 2019, p. 18

[Hawari-1] Mahmoud Hawari; Hamish Auld; Julian Hudson (1 January 2000). "Qal'at al-Burak. A Fort of the Ottoman Period South of Bethlehem". Levant: The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant. 32 (1): 101–120. doi:10.1179/lev.2000.32.1.101. S2CID 162056191.

[remains-2] Leeper, J. L. (1903). "Remains of the Temple at Jerusalem". The Biblical World. 22 (5): 340. doi:10.1086/473292. ISSN 0190-3578.

[:3-3] Blumenthal, Itay (2016-05-09). "Second Temple era archaeological site suffer serious damage". ynetnews. Retrieved 2019-05-15.

[:0-4] Gurevich, David (2017-04-03). "The Water Pools and the Pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the Late Second Temple Period". Palestine Exploration Quarterly. 149 (2): 103–134. doi:10.1080/00310328.2017.1310563. ISSN 0031-0328. S2CID 165135217.

[:1-5] Mazar, A., 2002. ‘Survey of the Aqueducts to Jerusalem’, in Amit, Patrich, and Hirschfeld 2002. 210-42

[:2-6] Billig, Y., 2002. ‘The Low-level Aqueduct to Jerusalem: Recent Discoveries’ in Amit, Patrich, and Hirschfeld 2002, 242-52

[7] Garbrecht, Günter; Peleg, Yehuda (1994). "The Water Supply of the Desert Fortresses in the Jordan Valley". The Biblical Archaeologist. 57 (3): 161–170. doi:10.2307/3210411. ISSN 0006-0895. JSTOR 3210411. S2CID 132210394.

[Allegro1964-8] Allegro, John M. (1964). The Treasure of the Copper Scroll (2 ed.). Garden City, NY: Doubleday. p. 67. OCLC 917557044.

[HYDRIA_Project-9] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "Solomon's Pools and relating aqueducts, the heart of Jerusalem's past water supply". HYDRIA Project. 2009. Archived from the original on 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2014-12-18.

[10] Flavius, Josephus Antiquities 8.7.3. (8:179)

[11] Burial Places of the Fathers, published by Yehuda Levi Nahum in book: Ṣohar la-ḥasifat ginzei teiman (Heb. צהר לחשיפת גנזי תימן), Tel-Aviv 1986, p. 253, who quotes from an ancient rabbinic source: "Between Beth-Lehem and Hebron is the great pool, being the [water] duct that Hezekiah made, and the pool that he made, and it is [known as] Ein Etam." Rashi, who had not seen Josephus' writings, surmised that Ein Etam was the place known as "the waters of Nephtoah" (cf. Rashi's commentary on Yoma 31a and Zevahim 54b, s.v. עין עיטם); see also Rashi's comments on Joshua 15:8 and Deuteronomy 33.

[12] Solomon Pools: Fit for a king, Jerusalem Post

[13] Josephus, Antiquities 8.7.3.

[14] Biblical Encyclopaedia - Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Period (vol. 6), Bialik Institute: Jerusalem 1950-1988, pp. 186-187

[15] D.F. Buhl, Geographie des alten Palästina, Leipzig 1896, p. 92. Buhl's words are as follows (translated from the German): "Southwest of Bethlehem, the channel from the southeast intersects another which comes from a source in the Wadi Biyyar. Where the two channels intersect, there are the famous pools of Solomon, large terraced water reservoirs, also fed by independent springs, namely ʻAin el-Burak on the northwest corner of the upper pool, which connects to another source ʻAin Ṣâliḥ, and of ʻAin Farûğe at the bottom of the lower pool; further down the channel intersects the source of ʻAṭân coming from the southern side of the valley. This source of the ʻAṭân is mentioned in the Talmud as the source ʻEṭâm, although the remark that it was 23 cubits higher than the floor of the Temple court clearly points to the aqueduct. Josephus speaks of the springs in Etan and of Solomon's Gardens there, with which Ecclesiastes 2:5 can be compared."

[16] Victor Guérin, Description de la Palestine, Judée, Description de la Judée, Paris 1869, pp. 104–119, 303–309; See: Guérin, Victor (1869). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 1: Judee, pt. 3. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.

[Schiller1988-18] Schiller, Eli [in Hebrew], ed. (1988). Charles Wilson - Jerusalem the Holy City (צ'רלס וילסון - ירושלים העיר הקדושה) (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Ariel. p. 131. OCLC 745100584.

[Schiller1988b-19] Schiller, Eli [in Hebrew], ed. (1988). Charles Wilson - Jerusalem the Holy City (צ'רלס וילסון - ירושלים העיר הקדושה) (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Ariel. pp. 131–132. OCLC 745100584.

[Natsheh-20] "Solomon's Pools". Museum With No Frontiers. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[museum-21] "Solomon's Poolsi". Solomon's Pools/Kani Mani. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[22] "THE MURAD CASTLE & THE SOLOMON'S POOLS". VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER – BETHLEHEM. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2019. Solomon's Pools (Beraik Solayman), are located immediately to the south of al-Khader and about 5 km southwest of Bethlehem.

[23] "DISCOVER MURAD CASTLE MUSEUM OF THE SOLOMON POOLS". Travelujah. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2019. The Murad Castle Museum features over 1500 precious artifacts representing many chapters of the Palestinian history. The impressive display shows various handicrafts, amulets, pottery and more. Part of a Roman Aqueduct is also displayed in the museum. In addition, a unique collection of archeological items was offered by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

[24] Billig, Ya’akov (2014). "Jerusalem, the Lower Aqueduct". Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel. 126. Israel Antiquities Authority.

[25] Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome (2008) The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700 Oxford University Press US, ISBN 0-19-923666-6 p 483

[AMazar1972-26] Amihai Mazar (1972), p. 120

[27] Fabri, 1893, p. 202

[28] Bussow, 2011, pp. 497, 536

[BMaisler2-29] List of Geographical Names, (A Memo of the National Committee to the Government of the Land of Israel on the Method of Spelling Transliterated Geographical and Personal Names, plus Two Lists of Geographical Names), Lĕšonénu: A Journal for the Study of the Hebrew Language and Cognate Subjects, Benjamin Maisler, Tel-Aviv 1932, p. 21 (note 1): "The spring of Etam is [called] Ein Etam, but Etam is the ruin of Wadi Khukh, near Artas (Urtas)."

[30] See p. 21 (note 1) in: Maisler, Benjamin (1932). "A Memo of the National Committee to the Government of the Land of Israel on the Method of Spelling Transliterated Geographical and Personal Names, plus Two Lists of Geographical Names". Lĕšonénu: A Journal for the Study of the Hebrew Language and Cognate Subjects. 4 (3): 1–92. JSTOR 24384308. (Hebrew)

[31] Bromiley Geoffrey W (1995). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: E-J Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, ISBN 0-8028-3782-4 p 1025

[32] Srouji, Dima (Spring 2017). "Solomon's Pools: A Patient Framework Awaiting Its Potential" (PDF). Jerusalem Quarterly. No. 69. pp. 98–106. ProQuest 2285087763.

[33] Temple-era pools near Jerusalem set for renovation

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 {{Short description|Ancient reservoirs near Bethlehem}}
-{{pp-30-500|small=yes}}[[File:Solomon's pools2.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Solomon's pools, 1981]]
+{{pp-extended|small=yes}}{{Infobox body of water
+| name               =
+| image              = Solomons-Pools-MVIF-156.jpg
+| type               = [[Reservoir]]
+| agency             = [[Palestinian Authority]]
+| location           = [[Bethlehem]], [[Palestine]]
+}}
-'''Solomon's Pools''' ({{lang-ar|برك سليمان}}, ''Burak Suleīmān'', Solomon's Pools, or in short ''el-Burak'', the pools; {{lang-he|בריכות שלמה}}, ''Breichot Shlomo'') are three ancient reservoirs located in the south-central [[West Bank]], immediately to the south of [[al-Khader]], about {{convert|3.5|km|mi}} southwest of [[Bethlehem]], near the road to [[Hebron]].<ref name="Hawari"/><ref name=remains>{{cite journal|last1=Leeper|first1=J. L.|url= https://archive.org/details/jstor-3140665|title=Remains of the Temple at Jerusalem|journal=The Biblical World|volume=22|issue=5|year=1903|page=[https://archive.org/details/jstor-3140665/page/n13 340]|issn=0190-3578|doi=10.1086/473292|doi-access=free}}</ref> The pools are located in [[West Bank Areas in the Oslo II Accord|Area A of the West Bank]] under the control of the [[Palestinian National Authority]].<ref name=":3">{{cite news |last=Blumenthal |first=Itay |date=2016-05-09 |title=Second Temple era archaeological site suffer serious damage |website=ynetnews |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4801309,00.html |access-date=2019-05-15}}</ref>
+'''Solomon's Pools''' ({{langx|ar|برك سليمان|Burak Sulaymān}}, or in short ''el-Burak'', 'the pools'; {{langx|he|בריכות שלמה|Breichot Shlomo}}) are three ancient reservoirs located in the south-central [[West Bank]], immediately to the south of [[al-Khader]], about {{convert|3.5|km|mi}} southwest of [[Bethlehem]], near the road to [[Hebron]].<ref name="Hawari" /><ref name="remains">{{cite journal|last1=Leeper|first1=J. L.|url= https://archive.org/details/jstor-3140665|title=Remains of the Temple at Jerusalem|journal=The Biblical World|volume=22|issue=5|year=1903|page=[https://archive.org/details/jstor-3140665/page/n13 340]|issn=0190-3578|doi=10.1086/473292|doi-access=free}}</ref> The pools are located in [[Palestinian enclaves|Area A of the West Bank]] under the control of the [[Palestinian National Authority]].<ref name=":3">{{cite news |last=Blumenthal |first=Itay |date=2016-05-09 |title=Second Temple era archaeological site suffer serious damage |website=ynetnews |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4801309,00.html |access-date=2019-05-15}}</ref>
-Solomon's Pools provided the water for two [[Roman aqueduct|aqueducts]] that delivered water to [[Jerusalem]] during the [[Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period|late Second Temple period]].<ref name=":0" /> The first one, known as the "Low-level Aqueduct," is thought to have been built in the first century BCE, around the end of the [[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean]] period. It delivered water to cisterns located underground beneath the [[Temple Mount]], which were primarily used by the [[Second Temple|Temple]].<ref name=":1">Mazar, A., 2002. ''‘Survey of the Aqueducts to Jerusalem’'', in Amit, Patrich, and Hirschfeld 2002. 210-42</ref><ref name=":2">Billig, Y., 2002. ‘''The Low-level Aqueduct to Jerusalem: Recent Discoveries''’ in Amit, Patrich, and Hirschfeld 2002, 242-52</ref> A second aqueduct, the "High-Level Aqueduct," took a similar path, but it is uncertain where it ended up in Jerusalem. It might have provided water to [[Herod's Palace (Jerusalem)|Herod's Palace]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Gurevich |first=David |date=2017-04-03 |title=The Water Pools and the Pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the Late Second Temple Period |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00310328.2017.1310563 |journal=Palestine Exploration Quarterly |volume=149 |issue=2 |pages=103–134 |doi=10.1080/00310328.2017.1310563 |s2cid=165135217 |issn=0031-0328}}</ref> The [[Herodium]] also received water from the Solomon's Pools.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Garbrecht |first1=Günter |last2=Peleg |first2=Yehuda |date=1994 |title=The Water Supply of the Desert Fortresses in the Jordan Valley |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3210411 |journal=The Biblical Archaeologist |volume=57 |issue=3 |pages=161–170 |doi=10.2307/3210411 |jstor=3210411 |s2cid=132210394 |issn=0006-0895}}</ref>
+Solomon's Pools provided the water for two [[Roman aqueduct|aqueducts]] that delivered water to [[Jerusalem]] during the [[Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period|late Second Temple period]].<ref name=":0" /> The first one, known as the "Low-level Aqueduct," is thought to have been built in the first century BCE, around the end of the [[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean]] period. It delivered water to cisterns located underground beneath the [[Temple Mount]], which were primarily used by the [[Second Temple|Temple]].<ref name=":1">Mazar, A., 2002. ''‘Survey of the Aqueducts to Jerusalem’'', in Amit, Patrich, and Hirschfeld 2002. 210-42</ref><ref name=":2">Billig, Y., 2002. ‘''The Low-level Aqueduct to Jerusalem: Recent Discoveries''’ in Amit, Patrich, and Hirschfeld 2002, 242-52</ref> A second aqueduct, the "High-Level Aqueduct," took a similar path, but it is uncertain where it ended up in Jerusalem. It might have provided water to [[Herod's Palace (Jerusalem)|Herod's Palace]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Gurevich |first=David |date=2017-04-03 |title=The Water Pools and the Pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the Late Second Temple Period |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00310328.2017.1310563 |journal=Palestine Exploration Quarterly |volume=149 |issue=2 |pages=103–134 |doi=10.1080/00310328.2017.1310563 |s2cid=165135217 |issn=0031-0328}}</ref> The [[Herodium]] also received water from the Solomon's Pools.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Garbrecht |first1=Günter |last2=Peleg |first2=Yehuda |date=1994 |title=The Water Supply of the Desert Fortresses in the Jordan Valley |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3210411 |journal=The Biblical Archaeologist |volume=57 |issue=3 |pages=161–170 |doi=10.2307/3210411 |jstor=3210411 |s2cid=132210394 |issn=0006-0895}}</ref>
 ==Name==
-{{Factual accuracy disputed|date=May 2022}}
+{{Disputed|date=May 2022}}
-Although the pools are named and associated with [[King Solomon]],<ref name="remains" /> scholars believe.<ref name="Allegro1964">{{cite book |last=Allegro |first=John M. |title=The Treasure of the Copper Scroll |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |year=1964 |edition=2 |location=Garden City, NY |page=67 |oclc=917557044 |author-link=John M. Allegro}}</ref><ref name="HYDRIA Project" />
+Although the pools are named and traditionally associated with King Solomon, scholars today believe the pools to be much younger, with the oldest part dating to the 2nd century BCE.<ref name="Allegro1964">{{cite book |last=Allegro |first=John M. |title=The Treasure of the Copper Scroll |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |year=1964 |edition=2 |location=Garden City, NY |page=67 |oclc=917557044 |author-link=John M. Allegro}}</ref><ref name="HYDRIA Project" /> The masonry of one pool and a recently discovered aqueduct have been dated to the early Roman period.
-and linked to the passage in the [[Ecclesiastes|Book of Ecclesiastes]] 2.6: "I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees." [[Josephus]] wrote that Solomon enjoyed the beauty of the water-rich "Etham" (one of the main springs is called ''Ein Eitam'' = {{Lang-he|עין עיטם|italic=yes}}).<ref>[[Josephus|Flavius, Josephus]] ''[[Antiquities of the Jews|Antiquities]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0146%3Abook%3D8%3Asection%3D179 8.7.3]. (8:179)</ref><ref>''Burial Places of the Fathers'', published by Yehuda Levi Nahum in book: ''Ṣohar la-ḥasifat ginzei teiman'' (Heb. '''צהר לחשיפת גנזי תימן'''), Tel-Aviv 1986, p. 253, who quotes from an ancient rabbinic source: "Between Beth-Lehem and Hebron is the great pool, being the [water] duct that Hezekiah made, and the pool that he made, and it is [known as] ''Ein Etam''." [[Rashi]], who had not seen Josephus' writings, surmised that ''Ein Etam'' was the place known as "the waters of Nephtoah" (cf. Rashi's commentary on ''Yoma'' 31a and ''Zevahim'' 54b, s.v. '''עין עיטם'''); see also Rashi's comments on Joshua 15:8 and Deuteronomy 33.</ref> The pools are in close proximity to the ancient town of ʻEiṭam (now ''Khirbet al-Khuaḥ'') and the spring known as ''ʻAin ʻEiṭam''. Legend has it that the king built the pools for his many wives, so that they could bathe in their waters.<ref>[https://www.jpost.com/Travel/Around-Israel/Solomon-Pools-fit-for-a-king Solomon Pools: Fit for a king], [[Jerusalem Post]]</ref> French explorer [[Victor Guérin]] who visited the site in the late 19th-century described the source of the pools and their surrounding villages in  ''Description de la Palestine''.<ref>Victor Guérin, ''Description de la Palestine, Judée'', Description de la Judée, Paris 1869, pp. 104–119, 303–309; See: {{cite book |last=Guérin |first=Victor |url=https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongogr06gugoog#page/n117/mode/2up |title=Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine |publisher=L'Imprimerie Nationale |year=1869 |volume=1: Judee, pt. 3 |location=Paris |language=French |authorlink=Victor Guérin}}</ref>
+The pools are named and traditionally associated with [[King Solomon]]<ref name="remains" /> and linked to the passage in the [[Ecclesiastes|Book of Ecclesiastes]] 2.6: "I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees." [[Josephus]] wrote that Solomon enjoyed the beauty of the water-rich "Etham" (one of the main springs is called ''Ein Eitam'' = {{Langx|he|עין עיטם|italic=yes}}).<ref>[[Josephus|Flavius, Josephus]] ''[[Antiquities of the Jews|Antiquities]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0146%3Abook%3D8%3Asection%3D179 8.7.3]. (8:179)</ref><ref>''Burial Places of the Fathers'', published by Yehuda Levi Nahum in book: ''Ṣohar la-ḥasifat ginzei teiman'' (Heb. '''צהר לחשיפת גנזי תימן'''), Tel-Aviv 1986, p. 253, who quotes from an ancient rabbinic source: "Between Beth-Lehem and Hebron is the great pool, being the [water] duct that Hezekiah made, and the pool that he made, and it is [known as] ''Ein Etam''." [[Rashi]], who had not seen Josephus' writings, surmised that ''Ein Etam'' was the place known as "the waters of Nephtoah" (cf. Rashi's commentary on ''Yoma'' 31a and ''Zevahim'' 54b, s.v. '''עין עיטם'''); see also Rashi's comments on Joshua 15:8 and Deuteronomy 33.</ref> The pools are in close proximity to the ancient town of ʻEiṭam (now ''Khirbet al-Khuaḥ'') and the spring known as ''ʻAin ʻEiṭam''. Legend has it that the king built the pools for his many wives, so that they could bathe in their waters.<ref>[https://www.jpost.com/Travel/Around-Israel/Solomon-Pools-fit-for-a-king Solomon Pools: Fit for a king], [[Jerusalem Post]]</ref>
+According to [[Josephus]], he would pass this place when  riding in his chariot.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[Antiquities of the Jews|Antiquities]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0146%3Abook%3D8%3Asection%3D179 8.7.3.]</ref><ref>''Biblical Encyclopaedia - Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Period'' (vol. 6), [[Bialik Institute]]: Jerusalem 1950-1988, pp. 186-187</ref><ref>[[:de:Frants Buhl|D.F. Buhl]], ''Geographie des alten Palästina'', Leipzig 1896, p. [[iarchive:geographiedesal00buhlgoog/page/n106|92]]. Buhl's words are as follows (translated from the German): "Southwest of Bethlehem, the channel from the southeast intersects another which comes from a source in the Wadi Biyyar. Where the two channels intersect, there are the famous pools of Solomon, large terraced water reservoirs, also fed by independent springs, namely ''ʻAin el-Burak'' on the northwest corner of the upper pool, which connects to another source ''ʻAin Ṣâliḥ'', and of ''ʻAin Farûğe'' at the bottom of the lower pool; further down the channel intersects the source of ''ʻAṭân'' coming from the southern side of the valley. This source of the ''ʻAṭân'' is mentioned in the [[Talmud]] as the source ''ʻEṭâm'', although the remark that it was 23 cubits higher than the floor of the Temple court clearly points to the aqueduct. Josephus speaks of the springs in ''Etan'' and of Solomon's Gardens there, with which Ecclesiastes 2:5 can be compared."</ref> French explorer [[Victor Guérin]] who visited the site in the late 19th-century described the source of the pools and their surrounding villages in  ''Description de la Palestine''.<ref>Victor Guérin, ''Description de la Palestine, Judée'', Description de la Judée, Paris 1869, pp. 104–119, 303–309; See: {{cite book |last=Guérin |first=Victor |url=https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongogr06gugoog#page/n117/mode/2up |title=Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine |publisher=L'Imprimerie Nationale |year=1869 |volume=1: Judee, pt. 3 |location=Paris |language=French |authorlink=Victor Guérin}}</ref>
-Tradition dates the pools to the time of Solomon, although the masonry of one pool and a recently discovered aqueduct have been dated to the early Roman period. According to [[Josephus]], he would pass this place when  riding in his chariot.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[Antiquities of the Jews|Antiquities]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0146%3Abook%3D8%3Asection%3D179 8.7.3.]</ref><ref>''Biblical Encyclopaedia - Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Period'' (vol. 6), [[Bialik Institute]]: Jerusalem 1950-1988, pp. 186-187</ref><ref>[[:de:Frants Buhl|D.F. Buhl]], ''Geographie des alten Palästina'', Leipzig 1896, p. [[iarchive:geographiedesal00buhlgoog/page/n106|92]]. Buhl's words are as follows (translated from the German): "Southwest of Bethlehem, the channel from the southeast intersects another which comes from a source in the Wadi Biyyar. Where the two channels intersect, there are the famous pools of Solomon, large terraced water reservoirs, also fed by independent springs, namely ''ʻAin el-Burak'' on the northwest corner of the upper pool, which connects to another source ''ʻAin Ṣâliḥ'', and of ''ʻAin Farûğe'' at the bottom of the lower pool; further down the channel intersects the source of ''ʻAṭân'' coming from the southern side of the valley. This source of the ''ʻAṭân'' is mentioned in the [[Talmud]] as the source ''ʻEṭâm'', although the remark that it was 23 cubits higher than the floor of the Temple court clearly points to the aqueduct. Josephus speaks of the springs in ''Etan'' and of Solomon's Gardens there, with which Ecclesiastes 2:5 can be compared."</ref>
 ==Description==
 [[File:Solomonspool3 n.jpg|thumb|Upper pool, 2013]]
 ===Pools and aqueducts===
-Solomon's Pools, consisting of three large [[reservoir]]s, are situated several dozen meters apart, each pool with a roughly {{convert|6|m|ft}} drop to the next. They are rectangular or trapezoidal in shape, partly hewn into the bedrock and partly built, between 118 and 179 metres (387–587&nbsp;ft) long and 8 to 16 metres (26–52&nbsp;ft) deep, with a total capacity of well over a quarter of a million cubic metres (some 290,000 m<sup>3</sup> or 75 million US gallons).<ref name="HYDRIA Project">{{cite web|url= http://www.hydriaproject.info/en/palestine-solomons-pools/waterworks25/ |title=Solomon's Pools and relating aqueducts, the heart of Jerusalem's past water supply |work=HYDRIA Project |date=2009 |access-date=2014-12-18 }}</ref>
+Solomon's Pools, consisting of three large [[reservoir]]s, are situated several dozen meters apart, each pool with a roughly {{convert|6|m|ft}} drop to the next. They are rectangular or trapezoidal in shape, partly hewn into the bedrock and partly built, between 118 and 179 metres (387–587&nbsp;ft) long and 8 to 23 metres (26–75&nbsp;ft) deep, with a total capacity of well over a quarter of a million cubic metres (some 290,000 m<sup>3</sup> or 75 million US gallons).<ref name="HYDRIA Project">{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223043540/https://www.hydriaproject.info/en/palestine-solomons-pools/waterworks25/ |url=http://www.hydriaproject.info/en/palestine-solomons-pools/waterworks25/ |title=Solomon's Pools and relating aqueducts, the heart of Jerusalem's past water supply |work=HYDRIA Project |date=2009 |access-date=2014-12-18 |archive-date=2017-02-23}}</ref><ref group="nb">The dimensions are derived from {{harvnb|Mazar|2002}}; a detailed survey in 2018 established that the Lower Pool is {{convert|23|m}} deep rather than {{convert|16|m}}. {{harvnb|Adams|Letteney|Peers|2019|p=18}}</ref>
-As such, the complex of reservoirs and water conduits might have been built by [[Herod the Great]] or an earlier [[Hasmonean]] ruler. The original rectangular excavations may have been stone [[quarries]]. The pools were fed by two [[Roman aqueduct|aqueducts]], by several [[spring (hydrosphere)|springs]] of the surrounding countryside including one situated underneath the lower pool, as well as by rainwater that descended from the hills. The pools served  as a storage and distribution facility, with the two feeder aqueducts bringing water to the pools from the hills to the south. The collected water was then distributed by two other aqueducts leading from the pools northwards to Jerusalem, plus another one heading eastwards to the Herodium. Traces of all five aqueducts have been found.<ref name="HYDRIA Project" />
+The complex of reservoirs and water conduits might have been built by [[Herod the Great]] or an earlier [[Hasmonean]] ruler. The original rectangular excavations may have been stone [[quarries]]. The pools were fed by two [[Roman aqueduct|aqueducts]] bringing water to the pools from the hills to the south; by several [[spring (hydrosphere)|springs]] of the surrounding countryside including one situated underneath the lower pool; as well as by rainwater that descended from the hills. The pools served as a storage and distribution facility. The collected water was distributed by three other aqueducts: two leading from the pools northwards to Jerusalem, and the third heading eastwards to the Herodium. Traces of all five aqueducts have been found.<ref name="HYDRIA Project" />
-The pools are positioned so that the water from the high pool can flow into the lower pool next to it when the water is pumped from it. By way of an aqueduct, the water first flowed to [[Bethlehem]], passed through an underground channel, and finally reached the [[Temple Mount]] area of [[Jerusalem]].<ref name="Schiller1988">{{cite book|editor-last=Schiller|editor-first=Eli|editor-link=:he:אלי שילר |title=Charles Wilson - Jerusalem the Holy City (צ'רלס וילסון - ירושלים העיר הקדושה) |date=1988|publisher=Ariel|location=Jerusalem|page=131|language=he |oclc=745100584}}</ref> From the pools to Bethlehem, the average drop is about 35 cm for every 270 meters, but from Bethlehem to Jerusalem it only averages 35 cm for every 1,700 meters.<ref name="Schiller1988" /> The length of the extant aqueduct is about 2,350 meters and the slope's gradient is about 11 meters, which means a drop of less than 85 cm for every 1,600 meters.<ref name="Schiller1988" />
+The pools are positioned so that the water from the high pool can flow into the lower pool next to it when the water is pumped from it. By way of an aqueduct, the water first flowed to [[Bethlehem]], passed through an underground channel, and finally reached the [[Temple Mount]] area of [[Jerusalem]].<ref name="Schiller1988">{{cite book|editor-last=Schiller|editor-first=Eli|editor-link=:he:אלי שילר |title=Charles Wilson - Jerusalem the Holy City (צ'רלס וילסון - ירושלים העיר הקדושה) |date=1988|publisher=Ariel|location=Jerusalem|page=131|language=he |oclc=745100584}}</ref> From the pools to Bethlehem, the average drop is about 35&nbsp;cm for every 270 meters, but from Bethlehem to Jerusalem it only averages 35&nbsp;cm for every 1,700 meters.<ref name="Schiller1988" /> The length of the extant aqueduct is about 2,350 meters and the slope's gradient is about 11 meters, which means a drop of less than 85&nbsp;cm for every 1,600 meters.<ref name="Schiller1988" />
-In olden times, this aqueduct, commonly called the "Lower Aqueduct," crossed the [[Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna)|Valley of Hinnom]] slightly above the [[Sultan's Pool]] and passed through a number of pointed arches protruding slightly above the ground.<ref name="Schiller1988b">{{cite book|editor-last=Schiller|editor-first=Eli|editor-link=:he:אלי שילר |title=Charles Wilson - Jerusalem the Holy City (צ'רלס וילסון - ירושלים העיר הקדושה) |date=1988|publisher=Ariel|location=Jerusalem|pages=131–132|language=he |oclc=745100584}}</ref> Afterwards, the aqueduct continued to meander on the southern slope of [[Mount Zion]] and entered the city near the present Jewish Quarter of the Old City.<ref name="Schiller1988b" /> It then ran along the eastern side of that hill, and was supported in part by stonework, while in other parts passed through a conduit carved from the rock, until it suddenly turned east, passed along the embankment and what is now known as [[Wilson's Arch (Jerusalem)|Wilson's Arch]], whence it entered the Temple Mount courtyard at the [[Chain Gate (Jerusalem)|Chain Gate]].<ref name="Schiller1988b" />
+In olden times,{{When|date=April 2024}} this aqueduct, commonly called the "Lower Aqueduct," crossed the [[Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna)|Valley of Hinnom]] slightly above the [[Sultan's Pool]] and passed through a number of pointed arches protruding slightly above the ground.<ref name="Schiller1988b">{{cite book|editor-last=Schiller|editor-first=Eli|editor-link=:he:אלי שילר |title=Charles Wilson - Jerusalem the Holy City (צ'רלס וילסון - ירושלים העיר הקדושה) |date=1988|publisher=Ariel|location=Jerusalem|pages=131–132|language=he |oclc=745100584}}</ref> Afterwards, the aqueduct continued to meander on the southern slope of [[Mount Zion]] and entered the city near the present Jewish Quarter of the Old City.<ref name="Schiller1988b" /> It then ran along the eastern side of that hill, and was supported in part by stonework, while in other parts passed through a conduit carved from the rock, until it suddenly turned east, passed along the embankment and what is now known as [[Wilson's Arch (Jerusalem)|Wilson's Arch]], whence it entered the Temple Mount courtyard at the [[Chain Gate (Jerusalem)|Chain Gate]].<ref name="Schiller1988b" />
 Today, below the middle pool are the remains of the [[Mandatory Palestine|British]] pump station that took the water by pipe to the [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Old City of Jerusalem]]. Another, more recent pumping station below the lower pool is still providing water to the town of Bethlehem.<ref name="HYDRIA Project" />
-===Turkish fort; museum===
+==={{anchor|Turkish fort; museum}}Turkish fort; museum===
+[[File:Solomon's pool LOC 24117601559.jpg|thumb|Qalʿat al-Burak was built in the 17th century just north of the upper pool.]]
-Near the Upper Pool stands a small Turkish fort known as Qal'at el-Burak ("castle of the pools"), or Qal'at Murad ("castle of [Sultan] Murad"), now Murad or Burak Castle. The rectangular structure with four square corner towers was built by the [[Ottoman dynasty|Ottoman sultan]] [[Osman II]] in 1618.<ref name="Natsheh">{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverislamicart.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pa;Mon01;22;en |title=Solomon's Pools |work=Museum With No Frontiers |publisher= |date= |access-date=22 December 2014 }}</ref> It served as barracks for the Turkish soldiers guarding the Pools of Solomon and the commercial caravans between Jerusalem and Hebron, as well as a staging post on the local [[hajj]] route to [[Mecca]]. For a long time it was also used as a [[caravanserai]] or ''khan''. After being allowed to decay since the middle of the 19th century, the ruined fortress has been largely rebuilt and developed as part of a new tourist complex.<ref name="Natsheh" /><ref name="Hawari">{{cite journal|author1=Mahmoud Hawari |authorlink1=Mahmoud Hawari|author2=Hamish Auld |author3=Julian Hudson |title=Qal'at al-Burak. A Fort of the Ottoman Period South of Bethlehem |journal=Levant: The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant |date=1 January 2000 |volume= 32| issue = 1 |pages=101–120 |doi=10.1179/lev.2000.32.1.101|s2cid=162056191}}</ref><ref name="museum">{{cite web|url=http://www.solomonpools.com/ |title=Solomon's Poolsi |website= |publisher=Solomon's Pools/Kani Mani |date= |access-date=22 December 2014}}</ref>
+Near the Upper Pool stands a small Turkish fort known as '''Qal'at el-Burak''', 'Castle of the Pools', or '''Qal'at Murad''', 'castle of [Sultan] Murad', known in English as Murad or Burak Castle. The rectangular structure with four square corner towers was built by the [[Ottoman dynasty|Ottoman sultan]] [[Osman II]] in 1618.<ref name="Natsheh">{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverislamicart.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pa;Mon01;22;en |title=Solomon's Pools |work=Museum With No Frontiers |publisher= |date= |access-date=22 December 2014 }}</ref> It served as barracks for the Turkish soldiers guarding the Pools of Solomon and the commercial caravans between Jerusalem and Hebron, as well as a staging post on the local [[hajj]] route to [[Mecca]]. For a long time it was also used as a [[caravanserai]] or ''[[khan (inn) |khan]]''. After being allowed to decay since the middle of the 19th century, the ruined fortress has been largely rebuilt and developed as part of a new tourist complex.<ref name="Natsheh" /><ref name="Hawari">{{cite journal|author1=Mahmoud Hawari |authorlink1=Mahmoud Hawari|author2=Hamish Auld |author3=Julian Hudson |title=Qal'at al-Burak. A Fort of the Ottoman Period South of Bethlehem |journal=Levant: The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant |date=1 January 2000 |volume= 32| issue = 1 |pages=101–120 |doi=10.1179/lev.2000.32.1.101|s2cid=162056191}}</ref><ref name="museum">{{cite web |url=http://www.solomonpools.com/ |title=Solomon's Poolsi |website= |publisher=Solomon's Pools/Kani Mani |date= |access-date=22 December 2014 |archive-date=22 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222212131/http://www.solomonpools.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 The Castle Museum houses one of the largest ethnographic collections of Palestinian history and culture.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vicbethlehem.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/the-murad-castle-the-solomons-pools/|date=5 November 2012 |title=THE MURAD CASTLE & THE SOLOMON'S POOLS |publisher=VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER – BETHLEHEM |access-date=14 May 2019 |quote=Solomon’s Pools (Beraik Solayman), are located immediately to the south of al-Khader and about 5 km southwest of Bethlehem.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.travelujah.com/trending-now/discover-murad-castle-museum-solomon-pools |title=DISCOVER MURAD CASTLE MUSEUM OF THE SOLOMON POOLS |date=3 May 2017 |publisher=Travelujah|access-date=14 May 2019 |quote=The Murad Castle Museum features over 1500 precious artifacts representing many chapters of the Palestinian history. The impressive display shows various handicrafts, amulets, pottery and more. Part of a Roman Aqueduct is also displayed in the museum. In addition, a unique collection of archeological items was offered by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.}}</ref>
@@ Line 39: / Line 48: @@
 ===Upper pools===
-The construction date of the upper (westernmost) two pools is uncertain but they was probably started during the [[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean]] period, between mid-second and mid-first century BC and completed by [[Herod the Great]] in connection with his [[Herod's Temple|rebuilding program]] of the [[Second Temple]].<ref name="Hawari"/>
+The construction date of the upper (westernmost) two pools is uncertain but was probably started during the [[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean]] period, between mid-second and mid-first century BC and completed by [[Herod the Great]] in connection with his [[Herod's Temple|rebuilding program]] of the [[Second Temple]].<ref name="Hawari" />
 ===Low-Level Aqueduct===
@@ Line 47: / Line 56: @@
 ===High-Level Aqueduct===
 The High Level Aqueduct originated in the upper pool and followed a similar route to the Low Level Aqueduct. However, its precise destination in Jerusalem is unknown. Scholars speculate that it might have supplied water to [[Herod's Palace (Jerusalem)|Herod's Palace]], which according to ancient sources, was particularly well-known for its water fountains.<ref name=":0" />
 ===Wadi el-Byiar Aqueduct===
-Herod created the sophisticated Wadi el-Byiar Aqueduct, which fed the upper pool. The aqueduct was partially built as a tunnel which collected underground water from the [[aquifer]] it was passing through, in the way of a [[qanat]], to supplement the spring water and [[surface runoff]] it was also carrying.<ref name="HYDRIA Project"/>
+Herod created the sophisticated Wadi el-Byiar Aqueduct, which fed the upper pool. The aqueduct was partially built as a tunnel which collected underground water from the [[aquifer]] it was passing through, in the way of a [[qanat]], to supplement the spring water and [[surface runoff]] it was also carrying.<ref name="HYDRIA Project" />
 ===Pilate's Arrub Aqueduct===
-In a third phase, Roman [[Prefect#Prefects as provincial governors|prefect]] [[Pontius Pilate]] built {{convert|39|km|mi}} of aqueduct bringing yet more water to Solomon's Pools from the large collection pools at [[Shuyukh al-Arrub|Arrub]] to the south.<ref>[[Jerome Murphy-O'Connor|Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome]] (2008) The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700 Oxford University Press US, {{ISBN|0-19-923666-6}} p 483</ref> This aqueduct, which brought water to Jerusalem, was paid for by Pontius Pilate at the expense of the [[Temple treasury]], which act in itself incited the anger of the local people.<ref name="AMazar1972">[[Amihai Mazar]] (1972), p. 120</ref> The aqueduct was destroyed during the [[First Jewish–Roman War|First Jewish-Roman War]].<ref name="AMazar1972" />
+In a third phase, Roman [[Praefectus#Prefects as provincial governors|prefect]] [[Pontius Pilate]] built {{convert|39|km|mi}} of aqueduct bringing yet more water to Solomon's Pools from the large collection pools at [[Shuyukh al-Arrub|Arrub]] to the south.<ref>[[Jerome Murphy-O'Connor|Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome]] (2008) The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700 Oxford University Press US, {{ISBN|0-19-923666-6}} p 483</ref> This aqueduct, which brought water to Jerusalem, was paid for by Pontius Pilate at the expense of the [[Temple treasury]], which act in itself incited the anger of the local people.<ref name="AMazar1972">[[Amihai Mazar]] (1972), p. 120</ref> The aqueduct was destroyed during the [[First Jewish–Roman War|First Jewish-Roman War]].<ref name="AMazar1972" />
 ===Mamluk lower pool===
-The lower of the three pools was built in 1483 CE during the reign of Mamluk Sultan [[Qaytbay]].<ref name="Hawari"/> Between 1480 and 1484 [[Felix Fabri]] visited, and noted that beside the middle pool there were: "pavilions and tents, wherein dwelt the architects, clerks of the works, overseers, and masters, who there arranged how the watercourses should be dug through the mountains. Round about these pavilions many [[Moors]] and [[Saracen]]s were running to and fro..."<ref>Fabri, 1893, p. [https://archive.org/details/libraryofpalesti09paleuoft/page/202/mode/1up 202]</ref>
+The lower of the three pools was built in 1483 CE during the reign of Mamluk Sultan [[Qaytbay]].<ref name="Hawari" /> Between 1480 and 1484 [[Felix Fabri]] visited, and noted that beside the middle pool there were: "pavilions and tents, wherein dwelt the architects, clerks of the works, overseers, and masters, who there arranged how the watercourses should be dug through the mountains. Round about these pavilions many [[Moors]] and [[Saracen]]s were running to and fro..."<ref>Fabri, 1893, p. [https://archive.org/details/libraryofpalesti09paleuoft/page/202/mode/1up 202]</ref>
 ===Later history===
-{{Factual accuracy disputed|date=May 2022}}
+{{Disputed|date=May 2022}}
-The water system based on Solomon's Pools has provided water to Jerusalem, on and off, for two millennia, all until 1967.<ref name="HYDRIA Project"/>
+[[File:Solomon's pools2.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Solomon's pools, 1981]]The water system based on Solomon's Pools has provided water to Jerusalem, on and off, for two millennia, all until 1967.<ref name="HYDRIA Project" />
 Major repairs to the water system were done by [[Legio X Fretensis|the 10th Roman Legion, ''Legio Fretensis'']] during the second century CE, later by the [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluks]], the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] and the [[Mandatory Palestine|British]]. In 1902 for instance, a new 16&nbsp;km pipeline to Jerusalem was inaugurated to mark the 60th birthday of the Ottoman sultan [[Abdul Hamid II]].<ref name="HYDRIA Project"/><ref>Bussow, 2011, pp. 497, 536</ref>
@@ Line 71: / Line 80: @@
 Today the water from the pools only reaches as far Bethlehem. The aqueduct beyond this was destroyed once taken out of use in 1967.<ref name="HYDRIA Project" />
-In recent decades, the pools have suffered from neglect. Between 1967 and the 1990s, the Nassar quarry, the Arja textile industry, and other nearby enterprises freely drew water from the pools. Six people have drowned in the pools since 1993, and no one has been held accountable. One of the pools was used by Palestinian One of the pools was used by Palestinian In 2009, the pools still lacked any safety precautions, guards on duty, a fence, or warning signs preventing children from jumping in. As a result, complaints were filed against the ministry of Awqaf, the site's owner, and the Solomon's Pools Tourism Agency, the operating company. A Palestinian court was then consulted on the matter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Solomon's Pools: A Patient Framework Awaiting Its Potential - ProQuest |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/f61c4e74cb74a0e060c5148edb8d6cfc/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=616497 |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=www.proquest.com |language=en}}</ref>
+In recent decades, the pools have suffered from neglect. Between 1967 and the 1990s, the Nassar quarry, the Arja textile industry, and other nearby enterprises freely drew water from the pools. Six people have drowned in the pools since 1993, and no one has been held accountable.<!-- One of the pools was used by Palestinian One of the pools was used by Palestinian --> In 2009, the pools still lacked any safety precautions, guards on duty, a fence, or warning signs preventing children from jumping in. As a result, complaints were filed against the ministry of Awqaf, the site's owner, and the Solomon's Pools Tourism Agency, the operating company. A Palestinian court was then consulted on the matter.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Srouji |first1=Dima |title=Solomon's Pools: A Patient Framework Awaiting Its Potential |magazine=Jerusalem Quarterly |issue=69 |date=Spring 2017 |pages=98–106 |id={{ProQuest|2285087763}} |url=https://oldwebsite.palestine-studies.org/sites/default/files/jq-articles/Pages%20from%20JQ%2069%20-%20Srouji.pdf }}</ref>
 Solomon's Pools have been managed since 2009 by the [[Bethlehem Convention Palace|Convention Palace Company]], which also operates Bethlehem Convention Center along with other sites in the area. The Murad Castle, an Ottoman fort at the park's northern gate, has been transformed into a tourist attraction that also includes an ethnographic and history museum and a restaurant with a garden area. Plans for the larger complex include a conference center, recreational spaces and a mosque.<ref name="museum" />
-In 2016, it was reported that neglect had caused the walls of one pool to collapse.<ref name=":3" /> In 2017, the [[Consulate General of the United States, Jerusalem|U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem]] funded a $750,000 restoration project at Solomon's Pools, which were suffering from neglect.<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/temple-era-pools-near-jerusalem-set-for-renovation/ Temple-era pools near Jerusalem set for renovation]</ref>
+In 2016, it was reported that a wall of one pool had collapsed.<ref name=":3" /> In 2017, the [[Consulate General of the United States, Jerusalem|U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem]] funded a $750,000 restoration project at Solomon's Pools, which were suffering from neglect.<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/temple-era-pools-near-jerusalem-set-for-renovation/ Temple-era pools near Jerusalem set for renovation]</ref>
 ==See also==
+;History
-* [[Molten Sea]]
-*[[Sultan's Pool]]
+*[[Herodian architecture]]
+*Historical water reservoirs in Jerusalem
-*[[Hezekiah's Pool]]
-*[[Birket Israel]]
+**[[Birket Israel]]
-*[[Mamilla Pool]]
+**[[Hezekiah's Pool]]
+**[[Mamilla Pool]]
-*[[Herodian architecture|Herodian Architecture]]
+**[[Sultan's Pool]]
+*"[[Molten sea]]", bronze-cast water basin at Solomon's Temple
+;Recent
+*[[Bethlehem Convention Palace]] (built in the early 2000s), near the Pools and run by the same company
+==Notes==
+{{reflist|group="nb"}}
 ==References==
@@ Line 90: / Line 107: @@
 ==Bibliography==
 {{refbegin}}
+* {{cite journal |last1=Adams |first1=Matthew J. |author-link=Matthew J. Adams |last2=Letteney |first2=Mark |last3=Peers |first3=Max T. B. |title=Survey and excavations at Solomon's Pools, Palestine: 2018 preliminary report |journal=Palestine Exploration Quarterly |year=2019 |volume=151 |pages=15–35 |doi=10.1080/00310328.2019.1579454}}
 * ''Biblical Encyclopaedia'' (1950-1988). [[Bialik Institute]]: Jerusalem {{OCLC|741065210}}
 * {{cite book|first=G.W. |last=Bromiley|authorlink=Geoffrey W. Bromiley|year=1995|title=The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia|publisher= E-J Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=0-8028-3782-4}}
@@ Line 99: / Line 117: @@
 * {{cite book|last=Guérin|first=V.|authorlink=Victor Guérin|title=Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine|url=https://archive.org/details/descriptiongogr06gugoog|volume=1: Judee, pt. 3|year=1869|publisher= L'Imprimerie Nationale|location=Paris|language=French}}
 * {{cite journal |last=Mazar |first=A. |author-link=Amihai Mazar |title=The Ancient Aqueducts of Jerusalem |journal=Qadmoniot: A Journal for the Antiquities of Eretz-Israel and Bible Lands |volume=5|issue=3/4 (19/20) |pages=120–124 |date=1972|jstor=23670359 }} (Hebrew)
+* {{citation |last=Mazar |first=A. |year=2002 |contribution=Survey of the Aqueducts to Jerusalem |title=The Aqueducts of Israel  |editor-last1=Amit |editor-first1=David |editor-last2=Patrich |editor-first2=Joseph |editor-last3=Hirschfeld |editor-first3=Yizhar |series=Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplementary Series |pages=210–42}}
 * {{cite book|first=J.|last=Murphy-O'Connor|authorlink=Jerome Murphy-O'Connor|year=2008|title=The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700|publisher=Oxford University Press US|isbn=978-0-19-923666-4}}
 * {{cite book|first1=Q. |last1=Shomali |authorlink1=Qustandi Shomali |first2=Sawsan  |last2=Shomali|title=A Guide to Bethlehem and its Surroundings|publisher= Flamm Druck, Wagener GMBH|location= Waldbrol}}
@@ Line 104: / Line 123: @@
 ==External links==
-* [http://www.solomonpools.com/ www.solomonpools.com/]
+* [http://www.solomonpools.com/ www.solomonpools.com/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222212131/http://www.solomonpools.com/ |date=2014-12-22 }}
 * {{Commons category-inline}}
-{{Coord|31|41|22.5|N|35|10|03.1|E|type:city|display=title}}
 {{Bethlehem Governorate}}
 {{Solomon}}
+{{Authority control}}
+{{Coord|31|41|22.5|N|35|10|03.1|E|type:city|display=title}}
 [[Category:Al-Khader]]
+[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 2nd century BC]]
-[[Category:Aqueducts]]
+[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC]]
-[[Category:Bethlehem]]
 [[Category:Caravanserais in the State of Palestine]]
+[[Category:History of Bethlehem]]
 [[Category:Reservoirs in the West Bank]]
 [[Category:Roman aqueducts outside Rome]]
 [[Category:Roman cisterns]]
+[[Category:Second Temple]]
 [[Category:Solomon]]
 [[Category:Tourist attractions in the State of Palestine]]
-[[Category:Ancient Jewish history]]
+[[Category:Water and Judaism]]
-[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC]]
+[[Category:Archaeological sites in the West Bank]]

v t e Bethlehem Governorate
Cities	Beit Jala Beit Sahour Bethlehem (Beit Lahm)
Municipalities	Battir Beit Fajjar al-Dawha Husan Jannatah (Rakhme, al-Asakra, Khallet al Karaneen, Al ‘Ukab, Harmala, and Abu Njeim) al-Khader Nahalin Tuqu' al-Ubeidiya Za'atara
Villages	'Arab al-Rashayida Artas Beit Ta'mir Dar Salah Hindaza Jab'a Jubbet ad-Dib Juhdum Jurat ash Sham'a Khallet al-Haddad Khallet al-Louza Khirbet Beit Zakariyyah Kisan al-Ma'sara al-Maniya Marah Ma'alla Marah Rabah Nuaman Umm Salamuna ash-Shawawra Wadi al-Arayis Wadi Fukin Wadi an-Nis Wadi Rahhal al-Walaja
Religion	Chapel of the Milk Grotto Chapel of the Shepherds' Field Church of Saint Catherine, Bethlehem Church of the Nativity Mosque of Omar (Bethlehem) St. George's Monastery, Al-Khader Al-Hamadiyya Mosque Monastery of Saint Theodosius Mar Saba Rachel's Tomb^†
Refugee camps	Aida 'Azza Dheisheh
Other	Solomon's Pools ‘Ayn Fashkhah

v t e Solomon
Family and reputed relations	David Davidic line Menelik I Solomonic dynasty Naamah Pharaoh's daughter Queen of Sheba Rehoboam
Occurrences	Judgement of Solomon Solomon and Marcolf Solomon in Islam Solomon's shamir Solomon's Temple Throne of Solomon Valley of the ants
Reputed works	Protocanonical Ecclesiastes Proverbs Psalm 72 Psalm 127 Song of Songs Deuterocanonical Book of Wisdom Apocryphal Odes of Solomon Prayer of Solomon Psalms of Solomon Testament of Solomon Grimoires Key of Solomon The Lesser Key of Solomon Magical Treatise of Solomon
Related articles	Boaz and Jachin King Solomon's Mines Seal of Solomon Solomonic column Solomon's knot Solomon's Pools Sorcery (goetia) United Monarchy