IDF to allow rare visit to ‘Solomon’s Pools’ archaeological site in West Bank

The Israel Defence Forces will allow a group of Israelis to visit an ancient archaeological site located in an area of the West Bank under the control of the Palestinian Authority, an IDF spokesperson confirmed to The Times of Israel.

The tour of the site known as “Solomon’s Pools,” located around four kilometers from the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, is set to take place on Thursday, during the Jewish holiday of Passover.

The initiative is organized by the Kfar Etzion Field School.

“Visitors will arrive in bulletproof buses, accompanied by professional guides and under special approval from the IDF,” the school said in a statement reported by Ynet, whose details were described as accurate by the IDF spokesperson.

Under the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank is divided into three different areas. The pools are in Area A, which is under control of the PA.

Despite its name, the site does not date to the time of King Solomon (whose historicity is disputed by some scholars), but around 1,000 years later, when Judea was ruled by Roman Jewish client King Herod.

“The site owns its name to a mistake of ancient travelers, who saw big pools and connected them to the Biblical King Solomon, but they have nothing to do with him,” Dr. David Gurevich, director of the Institute of Archaeology at Ariel University, told The Times of Israel.

Dr. David Gurevich from the University of Ariel next to parts of the High-Level Aqueduct to Jerusalem built in the 1st century BCE. (Courtesy)

Gurevich’s areas of research include water systems in the Jerusalem area.

The three large pools were part of the aqueduct system built in the 1st century BCE to provide water for Jerusalem and other key sites in the region, including Herod’s main palace, Herodium.

“The pools were operational tanks,” Gurevich said. “They received water from several springs, and the water could then be diverted to a higher level aqueduct that led to Herod’s palace or a lower level aqueduct that led to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.”

The IDF bars Israeli citizens from entering Area A without prior authorization. At times, the military allows special visits to sites of Jewish interest – Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus being the most well-known case.

“This is a rare chance to witness a biblical-era site up close, connect to thousands of years of history and celebrate Passover in the heart of the Judean Hills,” the Kfar Etzion Field School said in the statement quoted by Ynet. “The IDF-approved, fully secured tour offers a unique mix of heritage, nature, and inspiration for the whole family.”

Solomon’s Pools are also featured as a prominent tourist attraction on the website of Bethlehem’s municipality.

“For over two thousand years, Solomon Pools in the south of Bethlehem has been steeped in legend,” the website reads. “So great in size and importance were these three stone water basins, cut in the rock built during the reign of King Herod in the times of the Romans, that they became associated with the History of Jerusalem.”

“Near the pools are the remains of Qal’at al Burak [castle of the pools] also known as Qal’at Murad,” it adds. “The castle was built by the Turkish Sultan Murad in the 17th century for the protection of the water source and maintained this role throughout the centuries. The castle and the pools are set in a beautiful grove of pine and cypress trees.”