(Jerusalem) The Israeli Antiquities Services announced, on Wednesday, the discovery of a “mysterious” handprint carved in stone, more than a thousand years old, outside the Old City of Jerusalem.
The discovery was made in East Jerusalem, a part of the holy city occupied and annexed by Israel, during excavations that revealed remains of fortifications and a defensive ditch dating back to before the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said in a statement.
This moat was dug into the rock, 10 meters wide and up to 7 meters deep in some places, and then surrounded the city between two walls seven meters high, the IAA writes.
The statement added that the historians at that time took the Frankish knights five weeks to cross it and penetrate the city’s defenses.
As for the inscribed footprint, discovered near Herod’s Gate, in the northern part of the current ancient city walls (built in the 16th century during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent) “Until now, archaeologists have not solved the mystery (of) significance,” writes the IAA.
“Is this a symbol of something? A reference to a particular element nearby? Or is it just a local trick? Maybe we will know with time,” the text continues.
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