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Remaking the City Archaeological Projects of Political Import in Jerusalem’S Old City and in the Village of Silwan

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Remaking the City Archaeological Projects of Political Import in Jerusalem’S Old City and in the Village of Silwan REFLECTIONS Remaking the City Archaeological projects of political import in Jerusalem’s Old City and in the village of Silwan he authors of this article are Jordan, the Old City and its Walls organization called El’ad, a Hebrew members of ‘Emek Shaveh’, was nominated a World Heritage acronym for ‘To the City of David’ Tan organization of archae- Site in Danger in 1982 (UNESCO (Greenberg 1998: 8). The site is part ologists and community activists World Heritage Center website). of the ‘Jerusalem Walls National focusing on the role of archaeology This status expresses the cultural Park’ (Israel Antiquities Authority in Israeli society and in the Israeli– value of the city’s urban fabric and website), an area that was desig- Palestinian conflict. We view ar- monuments, its extraordinary spir- nated as a national park in 1974 chaeology as a resource for building itual significance and its unique so- and includes other land adjacent to bridges and strengthening bonds cial composition, which is the result the Old City. The national park as a between different peoples and cul- of many centuries of history and whole is under the auspices of the tures, and we see it as an important cultural development. In addition, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, factor impacting the dynamics of Jeru salem is also at the heart of the but the specific site of ancient Jeru- the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Our Israeli–Palestinian political con- salem (City of David) in Silwan is fundamental position is that an ar- flict. Jerusalem is contested ground, managed by El’ad (Lidman 2011). chaeological find should not and and the past has become hostage In recent years, the site has been cannot be used to prove ownership to this contest, with each side try- visited by approximately 450,000 by any one nation, ethnic group, or ing to tell a story that excludes the visitors per year, including tens of religion of a given place. We believe other. Much of the archaeological thousands of soldiers and univer- archaeology tells a complex story activity connected to the political sity and high school students. that is independent of tradition, conflict is taking place right outside Ancient Jerusalem is a unique religious or otherwise, and that by the city walls, in an area which does archaeological site of global im- listening to this story and bringing it not have UNESCO World Heritage portance for three main reasons: to the wider public we can promote status: the mound of ancient Jeru- it is identified with the beginning values of tolerance and pluralism. salem. of habitation in Jerusalem and was Today, this part of ancient the capital of ancient Israelite king- Jeru salem is located in the vil- doms; it is located in a Palestinian The historical and religious lage of Silwan , on a slope south of village; and it is close to the Temple import ance of the Old City of Je- the Temple Mount/Haram el Sha- Mount/Haram al-Sharif – one of rusalem and its surroundings (the rif, outside of the Old City Walls. the most politically and religiously ‘Historic al Basin’) is internation- Silwan is home to approximately sensitive places in the Middle East. ally recognized.* As proposed by 40,000 Palestinians and since the All of these characteristics present 1990s, a few hundred Jewish set- great challenges to any research tlers (Peace Now website). The Jew- undertaken in the area, both from * The article is based on Emek Shaveh’s texts ‘Archaeology in the ish settlement is promoted by an an archaeological perspective and shadow of the conflict’ (2010) , in terms of the social and political ‘From Shiloah to Silwan’ (2011), antiquities ’ (2013) and ‘Remaking implications of the work. ‘Jerusalem – Old City FAQ’ (2012), the city’ (2013). All are accessible Archaeological excavations are ‘From Silwan to the Temple as PDF-files on the Emek Shaveh tied to the political conflict in Jeru- Mount’ (2012), ‘Another future for website. salem from two distinct aspects. Approaching Religion • Vol. 4, No. 2 • December 2014 141 One is the appropriation of land to auspices of the Israel Antiquities displayed on a separate level in the be excavated, which can be inter- Authority (IAA), have taken place building. preted as a means of gaining control on the site 2003–5 and 2007–14. The archeological excavation over a certain place or area. The sec- In the past, the lot was part of the served to prepare the area for fu- ond is the focus on the past, which open areas used by the residents of ture building development on three can be seen as an instrument for Silwan. levels: 1) The deep excavation pre- appropriating the past to one par- In June 2013, the Antiquities pared the infrastructure and foun- ticular group and its historical nar- Authority began excavating the last dations for the future structure, rative. In this article we will discuss unexcavated area in the Givati Park- so that once permits are attained and exemplify these two aspects ing Lot. The excavation completely from the planning and construc- through the cases of the excavation consumes the parking lot that had tion committees, construction will at the Givati Parking Lot and the been there, and ultimately, the en- be able to begin immediately; 2) the tunnel excavations which have been tire parking lot area (some 5,000 public viewed the excavation as a carried out since the mid-2000s in m2) will be excavated. The goal of scientific archeological excavation, Silwan and in the Old City of Jeru- the archaeological excav ation is to and overlooked the fact that the dig salem. prepare the ground for the con- was being used in order to advance struction of the planned tourist the political goals of El’ad and of The Givati Parking Lot centre known as the ‘Kedem Com- certain government bodies. Thus, The Givati Parking Lot is an open pound’. According to an official de- although the excavation in fact area at the north end of the village cision of the District Committee for contributed to the creation of the of Silwan, across the street from Planning and Building from June infrastructure of Jewish settlement the entrance to the Visitors Center 2014 (Yashar 2014), the five-floor in Arab East Jerusalem, the Israeli of the City of David archeological tourist centre is intended to occupy governmental authorities and set- park and at a distance of twenty some 15,000 m2 and include com- tlers were able to present their work metres from the walls of the Old mercial areas as well as a museum, as an exclusively scientific archeo- City. Salvage excavations, funded parking lot, lecture halls and more. logical excavation; 3) the archeo- by El’ad and conducted under the The archaeological remains will be logical findings themselves not only Emek Shaveh The Givati Parking Lot excavation. 142 Approaching Religion • Vol. 4, No. 2 • December 2014 deflected potential opposition, but underground connection between even aroused public sympathy and it and the City of David Visitor support for the excavation among Center, located across the street to the Israeli public. Over the years of the east, and an additional under- the excavation, the media reported ground connection to the Ritual extraordinary findings in the excav- Bath Trail, located in the Ophel ex- ations, from the greatest cache of cavation area, immediately adjacent gold coins from the Byzantine era to the Old City Wall and ending just (ABC Science 2008), to a Second a few metres away from the Givati Temple period structure, which Parking Lot. The existing routes, some suggested was the palace of together with the planned routes, Queen Helena (Infolive.tv 2007). will establish the Kedem Center as These reports and others created an alternative to today’s main tour- public interest in the archeological ist entrance to the Old City, the excavation and its findings. Jaffa Gate. Although the archaeo- According to the plan, visit- logical excav ations at the Givati ors will use the centre as a start- Parking Lot uncovered finds from ing point for a variety of routes in a broad range of historical periods the village of Silwan and the Old (Ben-Ami and Tchehanovetz 2010), City. The excavations at the Givati the compound is expected to have Parking Lot are already connected a clear biblical focus. According to the Ophel/Davidson Center ex- to a government decision in May cavations and to the Shiloah Pool 2012, the possibility of establishing through a system of tunnels. Two a Bible museum called the ‘Shrine additional future projects relating of the Bible’ in the Givati Parking to the Givati Parking Lot are the Lot/Kedem Center in the village of Emek Shaveh Archaeological excavations in the village of Silwan. Approaching Religion • Vol. 4, No. 2 • December 2014 143 Silwan is being considered (Proto- col of government meeting 2012). The government’s decision empha- sizes the political importance of the archaeological projects in Silwan and constitutes an additional ex- ample of the close association be- tween the plans of the settlers and the government. The proposed building for the Givati Parking Lot overshadows the village of Silwan. The structure is anticipated to have a decisive influ- ence on the landscape, on the way in which the walls of the Old City are perceived and enter the public consciousness, the character of the space between the village of Silwan and the Temple Mount/Haram al- Sharif, and the village of Silwan it- self. Additionally, it is expected to have far-reaching implications for movement in the area, access to resi dents’ homes, and the develop- ment of the Silwan village.
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