Jerusalem’s Newly Discovered 2,000-Year-Old Pilgrimage Road – Now Open to Visitors

Walking Where History Still Whispers in Jerusalem

For those who have never been to Jerusalem’s Old City, your first visit can be even more exciting, and if you have visited Israel and Jerusalem before, this new biblical site should definitely be on your itinerary. Few places on earth allow visitors to walk where history still whispers beneath their feet – and Jerusalem now offers one of those rare opportunities. The newly opened Pilgrimage Road in the City of David, also known as the “Stepped Street,” has been fully revealed after more than six years of meticulous archaeological excavation by a dedicated team of Israeli archaeologists and researchers, and it is now open for visitors to experience firsthand. Hidden for nearly 2,000 years, this monumental Second Temple–period street was the main route used by Jewish pilgrims to ascend from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount during the three major Jewish holidays requiring pilgrimage to the Temple: Passover (Pesach), Shavuot (Feast of Weeks), and Sukkot (Feast of Booths/Tabernacles), collectively known as the Pilgrimage Festivals – carrying their prayers and offerings to the heart of the city’s spiritual life. For both Christian and Jewish visitors, this isn’t simply another archaeological site. It’s a living, breathing corridor of faith – one that carries the footsteps of Kings, prophets, pilgrims, and Jesus Himself.

Newly excavated 2,000-year-old Pilgrimage Road. Courtesy of the City of David.

The Pilgrimage Road: An Ancient Path between the Pool of Siloam and the Temple Mount

The ancient Pilgrimage Road has been uncovered in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park, and was connecting the Pool of Siloam to Jerusalem’s ancient Temple Mount. Completed around 31 AD under Pontius Pilate, the well-preserved, 2,000-year-old route was the main thoroughfare for Jewish pilgrims during the Pilgrimage Festivals. The road stretches approximately 600 meters (about 2,000 feet) and once served as the primary ceremonial route leading pilgrims from the Pool of Siloam to Jerusalem’s sacred Temple. Archaeological evidence indicates the road was constructed around 30–31 AD, during the Roman governorship of Pontius Pilate. This discovery reshaped long-held assumptions that such monumental construction belonged to the era of Herod the Great.

A Road Built for Worship

The Pilgrimage Road was never meant to be a simple city street. Its design reflects a deep understanding of pilgrimage itself.  The carefully engineered stone paving, wide steps, spacious landings, and gentle incline reveal a road designed to handle tens of thousands of pilgrims to move slowly together, ascending toward the Temple during the great Jewish festivals. The architecture encouraged reflection, prayer, and shared spiritual anticipation as pilgrims ascended toward the Temple. Before beginning their ascent, pilgrims purified themselves at the Pool of Siloam, a site sacred in Jewish tradition and deeply meaningful to Christians. In the Gospel of John, this is where Jesus healed a man born blind. From this point, worshipers began a steady, reverent climb toward the Temple Mount – the spiritual heart of ancient Jerusalem. Walking this same route today offers visitors on Holy Land Tours a tangible, physical connection to the world of the Bible and the Second Temple period. For modern visitors on Israel tours, this intentional design transforms the walk into more than sightseeing – it becomes a journey of meaning, echoing the experience of ancient worshipers.

A Marketplace Alive Along Jerusalem’s Pilgrimage Route

Excavations along the Pilgrimage Road revealed that it was also one of Jerusalem’s busiest commercial corridors. Archaeologists uncovered evidence of a lively marketplace serving pilgrims, including:

• Hundreds of ancient coins, some dating to the years leading up to the Great Jewish Revolt
• Stone weights and a rare liquid-measuring table, used by merchants to ensure fair trade
• Structural remains indicating shops and market stalls lining the road

These discoveries reveal a vibrant Jerusalem filled with sound and motion – vendors calling out their goods, pilgrims exchanging coins, and prayers rising as travelers prepared to enter the holiest place in Judaism.

Excavation finalized for the 2,000-year-old Pilgrimage Road. Courtesy of the City of David.

Beneath the Pilgrimage Road: A Hidden World Underground

One of the most moving aspects of this archaeological site lies beneath the stone street itself. An ancient underground drainage channel runs below the Pilgrimage Road. During the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE, this channel became a desperate hiding place for Jewish families and fighters. Inside, archaeologists uncovered:

• Cooking pots, oil lamps, and hundreds of bronze coins
• A Roman sword, likely abandoned during the fighting
• Everyday household items washed down from homes above—fish bones, grape seeds, perfume vials, jewelry, and dishes
• A small stone carving of a menorah, likely etched by someone who had seen the Temple’s sacred lampstand firsthand

These artifacts offer an intimate glimpse into daily life and the final moments during the destruction of Jerusalem.

A rare 1,300-year-old lead pendant bearing a seven-branched menorah, discovered in the archaeological excavations. © Eliyahu Yanai, City of David

A Discovery That Nearly Remained Hidden

Remarkably, the Pilgrimage Road was rediscovered almost by chance. In 2004, a burst sewage pipe exposed ancient paving stones beneath the City of David. What followed was more than six years of complex excavation, much of it carried out beneath modern homes and streets. Archaeologists and engineers worked in narrow underground spaces, reinforcing foundations while uncovering one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in Jerusalem’s history. The project became one of the most logistically challenging and costly excavations ever undertaken in Israel.

The Official Opening Ceremony: A Historic Moment

The importance of the Pilgrimage Road was underscored by its official opening ceremony, which drew international attention. The event took place at the City of David on September 15, 2025, and was attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and other dignitaries. Their presence emphasized that this was not only an archaeological milestone, but also a moment of global recognition of Jerusalem’s deep and enduring heritage. The ceremony marked the transition of the Pilgrimage Road from a hidden archaeological treasure to a site accessible to visitors from around the world. The official opening event celebrated the unveiling of the complete route – a 2,000-year-old street that is now fully open to visitors.

Walking the Pilgrimage Road Today

The Pilgrimage Road is far more than an archaeological achievement. It is a bridge between faiths, between past and present, and between the ancient pilgrims who walked these stones and modern visitors seeking meaning today. It reminds us that Jerusalem has always been a city defined by prayer, pilgrimage, and hope. Now, for the first time in nearly two millennia, visitors can once again walk this sacred path – step by step- along a road built for worship. In doing so, they become part of Jerusalem’s living story. Walking this path today, visitors can imagine the countless pilgrims who once followed these same steps. Every stone tells a story, echoing with devotion, faith, and the rhythms of daily life from two millennia ago. For every traveler touring Israel, the Pilgrimage Road is more than an archaeological site; it is a living corridor of faith, history, and spirituality, inviting modern visitors to walk the same ancient route once used by Jewish pilgrims – and most likely by Jesus Himself.

An Unforgettable Highlight of Jewish and Christian Tours to Israel

As of September 2025, large sections of the Pilgrimage Road were officially open to visitors through the City of David National Park, primarily via guided tours. However, the entire route will be open shortly after the New Year (January 2026), as excavation and preservation efforts continue. For Jewish visitors, the road offers a powerful connection to the Second Temple period, the pilgrimage festivals, and ancient Jewish life. For Christian visitors, it provides a tangible link to the world of the New Testament—possibly even the very stones Jesus walked on when traveling to the Temple. Travelers participating in Jewish tours to Israel and Christian tours to Israel can now include this extraordinary experience as a meaningful highlight of their journey.