The Israeli Government Immediately Opens Siloam Pool After Archaeologists Complete Excavation

Illustration of Siloam pool in Jerusalem. (photo: dock. yoah dotan)

JAKARTA - The biblical site where Jesus is said to have healed a blind man will soon be opened to the public for the first time in 2.000 years.

The Pool of Siloam, which is located south of the archaeological site of the City of David in Jerusalem, has been revered by Christians and Jews alike.

Currently the site is being excavated by archaeologists and will be opened to the public after the entire site has been excavated. This is expected to take several years.

This will allow visitors to view the site and the progress made in exposing it.

Members of the public have been able to access a small portion of the fully excavated pool, but it will be much longer before people can truly 'walk in the footsteps of the Bible'.

Plans to open Siloam Pools were announced before the new year by the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority and the City of David Foundation.

The site was built around 2,700 years ago as part of Jerusalem's water system in the eighth century B.C.

The site also serves as a reservoir for the Gihon Springs from which water is diverted and stored in underground tunnels.

"The Pool of Siloam in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem is a historic site, national and international," said Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion, as quoted by the Daily Mail. "After years of anticipation, we will soon discover this important site and make it accessible to the millions of visitors who visit Jerusalem every year."

According to two Israeli agencies and the City of David Foundation, the construction of the pool started during the reign of King Hezekiah as quoted in the Bible in Book of Kings II, 20:20,

"The excavation of the Pool of Siloam is very important to Christians around the world," American Pastor John Hagee, founder, and chairman of Christian United for Israel, told Fox News Digital.

“It was in this place that Jesus healed a blind man (John: 9), and it was in this place, 2.000 years ago, that Jewish pilgrims purified themselves before entering the Second Temple,” said Hagee.

He added that the Pool of Siloam and Pilgrimage Road, both located within the City of David, are 'among the most inspiring assertions of Biblical archaeology'.

Ze'ev Orenstein, director of international affairs for the City of David Foundation in Jerusalem, said the site is important to "billions of people around the world" and will be "fully accessible for the first time in 2.000 years".

He added that the millions of people who visit the City of David each year will "truly be able to follow in the footsteps of the Bible, connected to their roots, heritage and identity."

Three years ago Israel unveiled the 2.000 year-old Pilgrimage Road after an 80 million pound project to excavate it from beneath a Palestinian neighborhood.

It was discovered accidentally in 2004 by workers repairing broken pipes in a potato field.

The 350-yard ancient road served as the main thoroughfare for visitors to the ancient Jewish temple, while Jesus is also said to have used it to reach the Temple in Jerusalem.

The path led to the shrine from the Pool of Siloam, where pilgrims would cleanse themselves before visiting.

According to the Bible, it is also the location where Jesus performed the miracle of healing a man who had been blind from birth.