&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "164-foot tunnel discovered in Israel leaves scientists puzzled")
A large underground tunnel has been uncovered in Israel,creating a new mystery for archaeologists who are trying to determine who made it, when and for what purposes. Carved directly into bedrock, it was discovered during excavations near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel in Jerusalem carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority for a residential neighbourhood to be built by the Israel Lands Authority. Officials want to keep the tunnel and make it a part of a future archaeological park in the upcoming residential area. The tunnel first appeared like a natural cavity, but slowly started getting bigger as work progressed. The tunnel stretches around 164 feet through the rock, but its full length has not yet been ascertained since some portions are blocked. Excavations in some parts of the tunnel show that it is 16 feet high and about 10 feet wide.
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A staircase cut into the stone led to the entrance of the tunnel. The surfaces are smooth with regular shapes, indicating the makers started a planned project, but it seems like they did not finish. Speculating on the purpose of the tunnel, archaeologists have come up with several possibilities. First, is that it was a water system designed to reach an underground spring. However, no underwater source in the area was found, and there is no evidence of standing or flowing water either. Besides, the absence of plaster used to prevent leakage further led to this purpose being dismissed.
Archaeologists then checked the theory that it could have served an agricultural or industrial function, but the tunnel is too large for this field. Currently, the researchers believe that the tunnel was built for quarrying activity. The builders were possibly trying to reach a chalk layer, which could produce lime or extract building material. A vertical shaft carved into the ceiling hints at the possibility being real since such openings are often made to provide ventilation in underground work areas.
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Incomplete structure?
However, amid all these theories, it is possible that the tunnel was not completed for its intended purpose, which means it is almost impossible to determine its true nature. Researchers are also finding it difficult to set an exact age for the structure since no pottery fragments, tools, coins, or organic remains were found inside the tunnel. Another intriguing aspect is that the tunnel lies only a few hundred meters from two important archaeological sites, both linked to the Iron Age. One is a building in the Arnona neighbourhood, the second is Tel Ramat Rachel.
