The Shiloach pools consist of two ancient pools located in Silwan, an Arab village, and the City of David, a large archeological park located at the site of the kingdom of King David.
The pools are situated just outside the modern Old City walls. The first pool is the small Shiloach Pool from the Byzantine era. In the pool today there are remnants of pillars that are thought to be from the Shiloach Church that was built at this location. The second pool, or lower pool, is a larger pool from the second temple era. In the summer of 2004, the second pool was discovered and work uncovering this site continues today. During the time of the Second Temple, this pool was about three dunum in size and had wide roads leading to it.
Both pools received water from the Gihon spring, one of the most important sources of water in Jerusalem. The Gihon water source is mentioned as early as the book of Genesis – the name of the second river that came from the Garden of Eden is the Gihon River (Genesis, 2:13). The spring was also the site of the coronation of King Solomon (Kings I, 1:38). The water was believed to have therapeutic abilities and was used in the Temple for ritual services.
In 701 BCE, the King of Assyria, Sanheriv, placed Jerusalem under siege. In preparation for the attack, King Hezekiah built a tunnel in order to divert the water from the spring to inside the walls of the city (Isaiah, 22:9). A 533-meter-long tunnel diverts the water from the Gihon spring to the Shiloach pool. The pool also has significance in the Christian tradition, as it is believed to be where Jesus healed a man who was blind from birth, recorded in the Gospel of John (John 9).
You will need permission to film in the Shiloach Pool/ Pools of Siloam. Filming in the Shiloach Pools affords you the opportunity to see history before your eyes.