International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, 7 Sep 2007

After 20 years of effort, an ancient cuneiform inscription dating to Jerusalem’s deliverance from Assyrian assault 2,700 years ago, is returning from Turkey.

Assyrian King Sennacherib’s forces laid siege on Jerusalem in the time of King Hezekiah, who anticipated the siege and ordered a 500 meter tunnel dug through bedrock to connect the city to the Gihon Springs. The inscription commemorates the moment when workers working from each end of the tunnel converged in the middle.

The inscription was discovered under Ottoman Turkish rule by a young boy exploring the tunnel, and was taken to Istanbul. The artifact is being returned on temporary loan, although Turkish authorities said that the status could be changed to a long-term loan if Israel were to reciprocate in a similar fashion.

Copyright © 2007 International Christian Embassy Jerusalem