We started the morning at the Jerusalem Archaelogical Park exploring the excavations of the ancient city just outside the walls of the temple mount. One of the things that makes the biggest impression is the sheer size of everything. How did these ancient people move rocks that weighed tons and build these walls and structures hundreds of feet high?
The temple mount itself is the size of 12 soccer fields, surrounded by a wall that was hundreds of feet high. In its current state, the wall is only about half of the original height.
The excavations found 54 ritual baths nearby. There were so many, so the huge number of pilgrims coming to make sacrifices at the temple could purify themselves before entering.
The park adjoins the famous Western Wall (Wailing Wall). The current section is only 10% of the original length. The rest is underground.
Earlier this century some British archaeologists discovered ancient pathways underground, and our next adventure involved descending under the current city and walking the remaining length of the wall. At several places, there were people worshipping, because it is the closest point to the Foundation Stone located under the original Temple and now the Dome of the Rock.
The Foundation Stone is said to be the stone that Abraham tied Isaac to in order to sacrifice him to God. Muslims also believe the stone is where Mohammed ascended into heaven.
The amazing thing is that while we were already underground, at certain points you could look down another 30 or 40 feet and see the original ancient road that would have been at the base of the wall.
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The Kokoda Trail or Track is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs 96 kilometres overland — 60 kilometres in a straight line — through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea. The track is the most famous in Papua New Guinea and is known for being the location of the World War II battle between Japanese and Australian forces in 1942.Kokoda Maps
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