Ophel City Wall open

This item appears on page 75 of the March 2012 issue.

In Israel, a complex of buildings from the tenth to sixth centuries BC that were exposed during a multiyear archaeological dig are now open to the public inside the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park (phone 800 25 24 23). Archaeologists have named the complex the Ophel City Wall (see Nehemiah 3:26) and have built passageways around the various buildings, which include a gatehouse, royal edifice and fifth-century-AD wall. Also on display is the earliest written document to be discovered in Jerusalem, a clay tablet that is believed to be a copy of a letter sent to the king of Egypt. April-September, the park is open 8 a.m.-7 p.m. but closes at 3 on Fridays and holidays. October-March, it’s open 8 a.m.-5 p.m., closing at 1 p.m. Fridays/holidays. NIS27 ($7.20) adult or NIS14 child.