Cisterns and Crypts

I just got back from an underground tunnel tour of the western wall of the Temple Mount. It's already late here, and I should go to bed, but here are a few photos. In the last 10 days I have stood in about 26 cisterns including one at Massada that held 1,000,000 gallons. The first dozen were pretty cool, but now I'm sick them and don't really ever want to see one again in my entire life. Here's a photo of a small Byzantine one in the city of Kursi (ancient Gergesa).







We've been to a lot of crypts as well. These are some bones we found in a locked up crypt also at Kursi. The crypt was pretty small compared to most that we've seen with only 6 burial containers. As Gabi Barkay says, (Gabi is a professor at Hebrew University and is one of Israel's leading archaeologists. He says he enjoys the classes he teaches at JUC better than his normal classes at Hebrew University because we tend to care more about the Bible) "There is a hole in every fence in Israel, and if there isn't one when you get there, there is when you leave."

I also should mention that I went Youth Hostel shopping with some people today. I would put pictures up from that experience, but I think they might make some people puke a little in the back of their throat. I think I found some decent ones though. I guess we'll all see soon enough!!!