Archaeologists baffled by an ancient hand carved in a thousand-year-old ditch in Jerusalem

Israeli archaeologists investigated in amazement this Wednesday 25 the meaning of a carved by hand on the wall of an ancient moatclose to Old City of Jerusalem.

The sculpture was found in a 1,000-year-old ditch during work to widen a road in east Jerusalem near Herod’s Gate, the ministry said. Israel Antiquities Authority.

The researchers believe their findings are elements of Jerusalem’s ancient fortifications. “During the excavations, part of a deep defensive ditch that surrounded the city walls was discovered, probably from the 10th century AD and perhaps even earlier. At a point excavated in the wall of the ditch the unexplained trace of a carved hand,” reads the IAA press release revealed by the site itongadol.com.

The moat is located just below the main street of Sultan Suleiman, adjacent to the city walls. It was discovered by the director of excavations of the IAA, Zubair Adawi.

“People don’t know that this busy street is built directly over a huge moat, a huge channel cut into the rock at least 10 meters wide and 2-7 meters deep. The moat, which encircles the entire Old City, dates back some 1,000 years , from the 10th century AD or earlier, and its function was to prevent the enemy besieging Jerusalem from approaching the walls and breaking into the city,” he explained.

The moat was cut out of stone around the whole of the Old City, 10 meters wide and between two and seven meters deep, although it was devoid of water.

According to the Antiquities Authority, in the year 1099 it took the Crusaders five weeks to cross that moat and break through the defenses of the holy city.

And though the utility of the moat was evident, the meaning of the hand is completely ignored.

“It’s a mystery, we tried to solve it”Zubair Adawi, director of excavations for the Antiquities Authority, said in a statement.

Archaeologists wonder who carved the hand into the rock and what it meant. Some believe it might be a joke, but it’s all under consideration.

“Many dreamed and fought for Jerusalem, and the city’s fortifications are mute testimony to this. Archaeological finds allow us to visualize the dramatic events and upheavals the city has undergone. One can truly imagine the turmoil and almost smell the smoke from the We are unveiling the intense military history of the city on a daily basis and will do everything to expose the findings to the general public,” said Eli Escuzido, director of the IAA.

For the time being, the moat and hand have been covered to allow road works to continue just below the walls surrounding the Old City, built in the 16th century by order of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.