Megiddo Spring - An Ancient Water System

After attending a series of webinar talks on "Bible Lands Walkthrough Series" by KL Ng of KL Ministry in July and August 2021, I have decided to revisit the many places I visited in Israel and Jordan back in 2014 from 26 May to 2 June with a group of Malaysians. This documentation is also a brain stimulation exercise in learning and recollection.

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Water is the most essential thing for the survival of the inhabitants within a city. This is even more so when the city is under siege. A proper water storage system is therefore a key fundamental consideration in city planning and design.

After our visit to Mount Tabor, our next destination was Megiddo National Park. In Megiddo National Park, we were let to see an ancient Canaanite Water Reservoir System. Huge water storage underground chamber or cavity was created by chiseling away layers and layers of soil and bedrock deep down below the ground surface. The cavity is then slowly being filled up with rainwater collected from the immediate catchment at the surface opening and also partly by underground spring water fed through cracks and crevices on cavity walls and base. In ancient time, access to the underground storage was via a rock-hewn staircase which allowed people to descend to the level of the lowest water table.

Today, visitors walk along series of man-made staircases that spiral down from the top and sloping boardwalk to the lower platform.

There is still debate on the exact dates when this water system was built. Some say it's King Solomon's era in the 10th century BC and some say it's King Ahab's era in the 9th century BC while there are some who concluded it's King Jeroboam II's era in the 8th century BC. Whatever it is, it may not be wrong to say that the water system is at least close to 3,000 years old!

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A simpler version is just an excavated open pit to collect rain water. To draw water, one needs to walk down a series of spiraling steps formed along the inner perimeter wall. 

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The more complex water system is The Water Tunnel which we visited. The base is accessible by descending 183 steps and then a climb of 83 steps to the exit.

The Israelite tour guide stopped in the tunnel
to brief the visitors.

Lowest platform we were led to.

The exit.