The Sacred Cipher (25 page)

Larsen jumped as Johnson slammed his Ticonderoga into the wooden arm of his chair,
shattering the pencil. “It’s not strange that we know so little of the Temple Mount,”
said Johnson, “it’s absolutely criminal!

“Winthrop, you have just touched on one of the things that absolutely drives me nuts”—Johnson
waved the shattered remains of his pencil in Larsen’s direction—“the arrogance of
the Muslims and the incompetence of the Israelis in their stewardship of the most
vital historical site in the history of the world.

“For thirteen hundred years, since the Caliph Abd al-Malik captured Jerusalem, Islam
has maintained control over the Temple Mount, remarkably, even after Israel regained
sovereignty over all Jerusalem following the ’67 war. Even then, the Israeli government
allowed Muslims to control the Temple Mount. But what have they done with such control?
Absolutely nothing of value, and,” Johnson said, stomping his foot, “most likely an
incredible amount of harm.”

Larsen returned to his seat. Experience told him his mentor was only getting started.

“Through all this time, the Muslims have virtually shut down access to the Temple
Mount, even for legitimate research and the world’s most renowned archaeologists.
It’s virtually impossible to get near the Mount unless you are an Islamic worshiper.
And it is impossible to gain permission to do any kind of exploration primarily because
the Muslims are frightened that evidence may be uncovered that verifies the existence
of the Jewish Temple on the Mount, something they refuse to acknowledge even today.

“But that’s not the worst part,” Johnson said, wagging his finger in Larsen’s face.
“The most infuriating thing is that the Waqf is simply raping the Mount with impunity
and destroying irreplaceable artifacts. Again, I believe it is a blatant effort to
destroy any evidence of a Jewish temple, and therefore any Jewish claim, on the Temple
Mount. Do you know that in the last few years, the Waqf has had the audacity to bring
bulldozers—
bulldozers
—into the area under the Mount that some have called Solomon’s Stables? And the bulldozers
have dug out thousands of yards of dirt, poured it into dump trucks, and hauled the
dirt to a dump, all without any oversight or supervision from international archaeological
agencies. Random searches through the dump have found significant pre-Herodian masonry,
portals and lintels and columns, strewn among the dirt and trash. Some of the artifacts
have been recovered, but they have been thoughtlessly ripped from their contextual
resting place, destroying any opportunity science would have had to make sense of
their importance.

“And the Israelis?” Johnson scoffed. “The Israelis sit placidly and ignorantly on
their butts and do absolutely nothing to stop this outrage.” Johnson quickly got out
of his chair and crossed to a corner of the room, digging through a pile of periodicals.
He came back to Larsen with a magazine in his hand. “Here . . . here, read this. It’s
absolutely disgusting.”

Larsen obediently reached out to take the magazine, a 2000 edition of
Biblical Archaeology Review
that Johnson had opened to an article entitled, “Furor Over Temple Mount Construction,”
by Steven Feldman, and then, with effort, ignored Johnson’s pacing while he read:

The furor stems from a construction project undertaken by the Waqf, the Muslim religious
authority that controls the Temple Mount, to create a second entrance to the al-Marawani
mosque, located under the southeastern quadrant of the Mount in an area popularly,
but mistakenly, known as Solomon’s Stables.

The huge underground mosque at times attracts thousands of worshipers, so there was
no question that a second entryway was needed for safety reasons. But the Waqf’s decision
to simply haul material from the area and to dump it, in the dead of night, in the
nearby Kidron Valley has been attacked as irresponsible destruction of an archaeological
site. Israeli archaeologists say the area should first have been subjected to a controlled
excavation. Now personnel from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) can only sift
through the dump in the Kidron Valley in hopes of gaining some raw, but context less,
data about ancient Jerusalem.

Solomon’s Stables served as a storehouse and stable in the 12th century
A.D.
for the Crusaders, who assumed that King Solomon had used the vaulted cavern in the
same way. But the site actually dates to the reign of Herod the Great (37–4
B.C.
), who greatly expanded the Temple precinct.

“It is one of the most important sites in the country, and they’ve gone at it with
a bulldozer,” Jon Seligman, Jerusalem region archaeologist for the IAA, told BAR.
Seligman was appointed to his position at the very end of 1999, in the midst of the
controversy—“Dropped into the boiling oil,” as he put it—though he had served as Jerusalem
district archaeologist since 1994.

Seligman said that the IAA has been examining the dumped remains, primarily pottery
shards, coins and even some nails. About 40 to 45 percent dates to the Byzantine (fourth
to seventh century
A.D.
) and early Islamic (seventh to eighth century
A.D.
) periods; about two percent dates to the late First Temple period (seventh to sixth
century
B.C.
)—“The background noise of Jerusalem archaeology,” in Seligman’s words.

Seligman added that the dump was not his primary concern. “The issue is the Temple
Mount,” he said. “The dump is a side issue.”

“This was an opportunity to learn about the site,” Ronny Reich, an IAA archaeologist
and a specialist on the history of ancient Jerusalem, told BAR. Now, according to
Reich, that chance has been lost forever. Reich added that the material hauled away
from the Mount might even have contributed to the debate on whether Jerusalem was
a significant city in the tenth century
B.C.
, the era of King David.

By destroying the historical context of the remains, the Waqf’s action violates Israeli
law, which requires the IAA to conduct excavations before construction can begin at
any historically significant site. Relations between the Waqf and Israeli authorities
have been greatly strained, however, since 1996, when a decision by then-Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu to open an exit at one end of a tunnel running alongside the western
wall of the Temple Mount led to widespread and deadly rioting by Muslims.

Israel’s attorney general, Elyakim Rubenstein, admitted that law enforcement authorities
had lost de facto authority over the Temple Mount. “The remnants of the history of
the Jewish people are being trampled,” he said. “The Waqf must be told that we have
tolerance for their worship, but they will not be allowed to kick aside our history.”
Rubenstein acknowledged that “the issue there is a very sensitive one. Every Muslim
home boasts a photograph of the Al-Aksa Mosque, part of which lies over Solomon’s
Stables.”

Given the volatility of the situation, Shlomo Ben-Ami, Israel’s internal security
minister, announced in December that no forceful means would be employed to seal the
new entrance. “I don’t want to put on a show of force that will cause the entire city
to burn,” he said. Indeed, on December 6, Ahmed Tibi, an Arab member of the Knesset
(Israel’s parliament) and a confidant of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, warned,
“If someone has the nerve to close the entrances, he is declaring war on the Muslims!”

At press time, the situation had become quieter, thanks in part to the Muslim holy
month of Ramadan and to heavy rains that have hampered construction activity. Seligman
told BAR that the work at Solomon’s Stables was near completion in any case. But it
seems only a matter of time before the issue flares up again elsewhere on the Temple
Mount.

This is not the first time the Waqf has destroyed archaeological features on the Temple
Mount. In the 1980s, an unauthorized trench dug to relocate utilities uncovered an
ancient wall thought by an archaeologist who briefly saw it to be from the time of
King Herod. It was probably a wall of one of the courts of the Second Temple. The
wall was 6 feet thick, and a length of over 16 feet of it was exposed, but it was
quickly removed and the area covered before it could be studied.

In 1993 the Israeli Supreme Court handed down a decision in a case that had been brought
to prevent the Waqf from continuing to destroy archaeological features of the Temple
Mount (see Stephen J. Adler, “The Temple Mount in Court,” BAR, September/October 1991;
and “Israeli Court Finds Muslim Council Destroyed Ancient Remains on Temple Mount,”
BAR, July/August 1994). The court found the Waqf guilty of 35 violations of the antiquities
law that involved irreversible destruction of important archaeological remains. Even
during the pendency of the lawsuit, however, the Waqf continued to destroy ancient
features on the Temple Mount.—S.F.

Larsen put the magazine down and turned his head to look again at the immense map
of the Temple Mount area of Jerusalem.

“Richard, couldn’t this whole thing, the arrogance of the Waqf and the indifference,
or incompetence, of the Israelis, couldn’t that prove invaluable to us?”

“Are you kidding me?” Johnson blurted, snapping the point off another pencil. “Why
they—”

“Doc, wait a minute, think,” Larsen cautioned. “I’m not saying it’s right. And anybody
with any sense would never let it continue. But think about it at least from our perspective.
First of all, this article tells us that there is already a mosque situated under
the Temple Mount, another argument that it’s possible for a temple to exist there.
And, as you’ve noted, the Muslims have prohibited almost any exploration, either on
top of or under the Mount. The only known study under the Mount was conducted by Warren,
in secret, at night. But the dearth of information about the underbelly of the Mount
has also prevented anyone from stumbling upon Abiathar’s Temple. Lastly, we know there
are several documented tunnels and cisterns either at the base of, or under, the Temple
Mount, correct? Well, how many other tunnels are in existence that no one has ever
discovered? And they could be tunnels that are easily accessible if you knew where
to look, but have never been officially uncovered.”

Larsen reached out his hand and placed it on Johnson’s arm. “Look, don’t let your
righteous anger ruin your perspective. If we can find a way into the Mount—or should
I say, once we find our way into the Mount—if we do it right, we won’t have to worry
about a bunch of archaeologists or a bunch of tourists tripping over us. Nobody gets
under there. Once we do, we’ll have the place to ourselves. It will make the search
much easier knowing we have free access and don’t have to worry about making noise.”

Johnson looked at Larsen as if he had two heads. But his face softened, and his reason
returned. “And I thought you were the student,” he said respectfully.

Larsen blushed, then tried to hide his delight behind a light chuckle. “Well, since
you’re in a receptive mood, I’ve got a few other thoughts for you. I think I may have
identified three potential entrance points for us, entrance points that may not be
under constant scrutiny by the authorities.”

Tossing aside his ravaged pencil, Johnson capitulated.

“The first,” Larsen said, returning to the map of the Temple Mount and pointing to
the areas he had identified, “would be in the area of the southern wall we’ve already
been talking about, the Huldah Gates. The second would be an area around the Gihon
Spring. And the third would be the recently uncovered King’s Garden Tunnel.” He looked
to Johnson for rebuttal or release.

“Press on, my friend, you have my interest.”

“Okay, let’s take the Huldah Gates first,” Larsen said, buoyed by Doc’s encouragement.
“As you said, most pilgrims entered the Herodian Temple Mount area through either
the Double Gate on the west or the Triple Gate on the east. A Herodian entry chamber,
which is only partially preserved, exists inside the gate and leads to tunnels through
which the worshiper could walk up to the level of the Temple Mount esplanade.

“Now, there were two
mikva’ot
, or ritual cleansing basins, on either side of this tunnel’s exit. The pools provided
the last opportunity for worshipers to cleanse themselves ritually before entering
consecrated ground. In their surveys late in the nineteenth century, Charles Warren
and Charles Wilson identified two subterranean cavities beneath the Temple Mount.
Recently, other researchers have claimed these cavities were the Jewish ritual baths
that were situated at the end of the tunnels from the Huldah Gates. But the main point
for us is that what once could have been cleansing basins on the surface of the Mount
were already, over a hundred years ago, well beneath the surface.

“It’s possible that when we get to Jerusalem, we may be able to access these cavities,
as Warren called them, or other cavities or caverns that are underground, and find
an entry point to the tunnels that at one time led from the Huldah Gates to the surface
of the Temple Mount,” he explained, returning to the assembly of maps and charts.
“Perhaps along one of those tunnels, we could find some clue to the whereabouts of
Abiathar’s Temple. This is a possibility, but not, I believe, our best possibility.”

“Okay, professor,” said Johnson, with a patrician’s bow of the head, “what is our
best possibility?”

Addressing the map of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus, Larsen again took the red grease
pencil and drew a small square near the base of the escarpment upon which the city
rested, at the edge of the Kidron Valley, southeast of the Temple Mount. He then drew
another square, outlining an area at the very southeast corner of the city, directly
against the city wall, at the very end of the City of David. Pointing to the squares
in order, Larsen stated, “The Pool of Siloam, just inside the Tekoa Gate at the southeast
tip of the City of David and . . . the Gihon Spring, across from the Mount of Olives
at the base of the escarpment.” He looked over at Johnson.