Warren's Shaft

Ancient Jerusalem's main water source was a spring called Gihon. During the period of Jebusites (2000 BC), a secret underground tunnel leading to a fortified pool where Gihon gets collected, was hewn. The Jebusite's Jerusalem was highly fortified and its precious water source was secretly concealed under a vertical shaft or tunnel. In 1867, archaeologist Charles Warren discovered this ancient vertical tunnel and the shaft is named after him. It is generally accepted that through this water shaft, David's men entered and conquered the much fortified city and later made Jerusalem his capital (II Samuel 5:7-8). Today, after climbing down a spiral staircase and walking through an ancient tunnel and continuing down another staircase you reach the top of a vertical shaft. This shaft (Warrens Shaft) descends to a depth more than 40 feet.