The Cliffs in Judea Overlooking Solomon's Pools -- Where Are Those Cliffs Today?



Solomon's Pools. The photo is dated between 1860 and 1880. No name is attributed to the photo. The photo and
handwritten caption are similar to photos by Felix Bonfils (1831-1885). The man in the photo may be the same as in
 this photo from the Western Wall, perhaps even a photo of Bonfils himself.

 


Solomon's Pools in a rare color photo (circa 1905)



The Cliffs. Original caption: "Solomon's Pools and ancient
aqueducts. Dam across Wadi Biyar al-Bir ed-Darraj"
(circa 1936)

The early photographers in the Holy Land were enchanted by "Solomon's Pools," an elaborate water system from the Maccabean or Roman times located between Bethlehem and Hebron that brought water all the way to the Temple in Jerusalem.

 

Dozens of pictures of the pools can be found in the Library of Congress archives, such as these photos.

The American Colony's photo collection (1898-1946) includes a picture of cliffs near Solomon's Pools. 

The cliffs beneath the Zayit neighborhood of Efrat

Here are pictures of the cliffs today.  They are situated beneath the northern tip of the town of Efrat and its Zayit neighborhood.  Efrat was established in 1983 and is located some eight miles south of Jerusalem.

 The cliffs today as viewed on Google Earth