The East Jerusalem Development Company Ltd. is a government company established in 1966, with the aim of developing and rehabilitating the Yemin Moshe and Mamilla neighborhoods, which were frontier neighborhoods.
The company operates and manages a number of tourist sites in Jerusalem; the Jerusalem Walls Promenade, Zedekiah’s Cave, the Roman Square at Damascus Gate, Ophel Garden – Hulda Stairs and the Cable Car Museum on Mount Zion. The company’s goal is to promote and improve the experience of tourists and residents, and to strengthen its status as a pilgrimage center from all over the world.
100 m east of Damascus Gate, a modest iron door leads to one of Jerusalem’s most impressive and mysterious places – Zedekiah’s Cave. This is one of the largest, ancient quarries in Israel, with a spring inside.
The goals of the project: Upgrading the physical infrastructure in the cave and creating a unique, tourist visitor experience.
The project included:
- Upgrading the paths, stairs, handrails, lighting and infrastructure.
- Audiovisual performance – by Breeze Creative.
- Reinforcing the ceiling of the cave.
- Upgrading the entrance system – planned but not carried out.
The climatic conditions in the cave are particularly challenging (high and continuous humidity). and therefore we were required to use materials adapted to the high humidity and resistance to bacteria, in addition to meticulously maintaining the authenticity of the site, as it is an ancient archaeological site of special importance, all under the close supervision and guidance of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
During the work on the audiovisual installation (during 2020), a piece of the rock shell detached from the ceiling of the Habonim hall, and the hall was declared a dangerous structure. Following the conclusions of the engineering survey, the cave’s ceilings and walls were reinforced with prestressed rock screws. Due to the high humidity in the cave cavity, polymer rock anchors were used. Upon completion of reinforcement work on the ceiling of the hall and the ceiling of the audiovisual performance route, the cave was opened to visitors in August 2023.