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The
size of any ancient city was limited by its water supply, and
Jerusalem was no exception. The one source close to the city, the Gihon Spring
in the Kidron Valley, was used from pre-Israelite times to provide water both
for domestic purposes and for irrigation. After the construction of the Temple, Jerusalem expanded westward, and its
increased water needs had to be met. Cisterns were dug to store rainwater, and pools or reservoirs were dug to capture runoff water.
This Hasmonean aqueduct was cut into the bedrock around 150 BC. It is located north of the northwest corner of the Temple Mount, and it directed runoff and water from reservoirs in the area. When Herod the Great expanded the Temple Mount to include this area, the aqueduct was modified and the water redirected.
The walls and floor of the aqueduct are smooth, worn by the volume of water over the years.
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