Hezekiah's Tunnel

What It Is

Hezekiah's Tunnel is a water channel about 533 m long, cut through the rock beneath the City of David. Most scholars date it to around 700 BCE. It carries water from the Gihon Spring on the eastern slope to the Pool of Siloam. The City of David lists its last-entry time under the name Shiloah (Siloam) water tunnel.

Over the full 533 m the tunnel falls only about 30 cm. The full City of David site, where the tunnel sits, covers about 50 dunams, or 12.3 acres, in the Wadi Hilweh part of Silwan.

Why It Was Built

The Gihon Spring is generally seen as the reason Jerusalem first grew at this spot. It is a spring on the eastern slope of the ridge, and the tunnel carries its water to the Pool of Siloam. Most scholars date the tunnel to around 700 BCE.

A walk through the tunnel today follows that same water line, and the City of David Underground Tour pairs it with the spring and the pool at both ends.

The Siloam Inscription

The Siloam Inscription was found in the tunnel in 1884. The cited sources do not say where the inscription is displayed today.

Tunnel Figures at a Glance

These are the core figures for Hezekiah's Tunnel as published by the cited sources. They are worth a look before you plan the walk.

The Walk from Spring to Pool

The City of David says its guided route walks through the waters of the Siloam (Hezekiah's) Tunnel with flashlights. The route is the full length of about 533 m, from the Gihon Spring entrance at one end to the Pool of Siloam at the other, following the same channel the water has used since around 700 BCE.

The last entry to the Shiloah water tunnel is half an hour before the site closes. The City of David opens Sunday to Thursday 8:00 to 17:00 and Friday 8:00 to 14:00. If the tunnel is the reason for your visit, go early rather than late, because one late arrival ends the plan.

What to Wear and Bring

The City of David confirms that visitors walk the tunnel with flashlights. Water depth, how long the walk takes and whether there is a dry alternative route are not published by the City of David, so none of them is given here. Check the City of David site directly for depth and duration before you commit, and note that tickets are booked on the City of David website.

Entry to the site is included in the City of David and Underground Jerusalem day tour, which handles the ticket for you.

Practical Walk Details

This table collects the confirmed practical facts for the walk in one place. Every row comes from the City of David's own pages or the Christian Information Center's published hours list, so treat it as your planning baseline.

The Gihon Spring

The Gihon Spring sits on the eastern slope of the City of David ridge, and it is generally seen as the reason Jerusalem first grew at this spot. It is generally seen as the water source that made the original settlement possible, which makes it the starting point of the story the park tells. The spring is also the starting point of Hezekiah's Tunnel.

The City of David and Underground Jerusalem tour lists the Gihon Spring as an explicit stop, as an explicit stop.

Warren's Shaft

Charles Warren dug at the City of David between 1867 and 1870, and he found a vertical shaft that carries his name. Later study has shown the shaft is a natural feature, not one cut by ancient engineers, which shows how interpretations at the site have changed as excavation continued.

Kathleen Kenyon dug at the site from 1961 to 1967, and Yigal Shiloh from 1978 to 1985.

The Pool of Siloam

The Pool of Siloam is the far end of Hezekiah's Tunnel, where the spring water arrives. It was rediscovered in autumn 2004 during sewer work. The excavated pool has three sets of five steps.

It is listed as a stop on the City of David day tour alongside the Gihon Spring and the Pilgrimage Road.

The Pilgrimage Road

The Pilgrimage Road is a stepped street from the Second Temple period, built over the Jerusalem water channel. The City of David day tour lists the Pilgrimage Road as a stop, and its card description warns about tight spots and about 3 hours of walking.

The City of David and Underground Jerusalem Day Tour

The pick for this site is Jerusalem: City of David and Underground Jerusalem Day Tour, run by Bein Harim Israel Tours. It costs $89 per person, lasts 9 hours, and carries a 4.5 rating from 20 reviews on the booking platform. Entry fees, a guide, an air-conditioned coach, and hotel pickup and drop-off are all included, so the entry fees are part of the price. The meeting point is the David Citadel Hotel at King David St 7, and hotel pickup is also listed as included.

The itinerary covers the Mount of Olives overlook, the City of David, the Gihon Spring, the Pool of Siloam and the Pilgrimage Road, then Mount Zion with King David's Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper. What it does not include is food and drinks or gratuities. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before.

Who It Suits and Who It Does Not

The tour's own card carries a warning worth repeating: it includes about 3 hours of walking and tight spots, so skip it if you dislike enclosed spaces. The listing does not say whether the Hezekiah's Tunnel walk is part of the day, so ask the operator before you book. The 9-hour format also means a full day on your feet, and the covered sites are in the Jewish Quarter and the City of David rather than across all four quarters of the Old City.

If you want the broader Old City instead, the Jerusalem Old City Walking Tour covers Jaffa Gate, the Western Wall and the Holy Sepulchre in 4 hours for $57, and the Jerusalem Dual Narrative Tour is led by two guides, one Jewish Israeli and one Palestinian, for $65. Neither enters the City of David. For another underground route, see the guide to the Western Wall Tunnels tour.

Tour Coverage Compared

This table compares the City of David day tour against the two Old City walks most often considered alongside it, using the published card details. The point of the comparison is scope: only one of the three lists City of David sites.