Jerusalem - Solomon's Quarry/Zedekiah’s Cave

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Solomon’s Quarries is located under Mt Moriah, about 30 ft beneath the Muslim quarter of the Old City. The entry is about 500 ft east of the Damascus Gate. It is believed by some to be the “Royal Caverns” that the Jewish historian Josephus wrote about. (War 5:147)

The quarry is about 330 ft wide and 650 ft deep, and has a hard white limestone called malaky, which Herod the Great also used in his many expansion projects.

This quarry also became known as Zedekiah’s Cave. Jeremiah recorded that Zedekiah was able to escape the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem by way of a “gate” (52:7). In the account, the Babylonian army caught up with him in the “plains of Jericho”. Legend has it that David and Solomon built a series of tunnels as an exit strategy should the need arise—some as far as Jericho, 15 miles away.

References: 1^st Kings 5:15-18; 6:1

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