The Cardo In Old City Jerusalem

 

Location

 

1. The excavated part of Cardo Maximus Street is located in the Jewish Quarter of Old City Jerusalem, near the main Jewish Street. It has an open-air section, a small museum, and art and jewelry shops.

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2. Part of the Cardo Minor has been uncovered on the western side of the Western Wall Plaza.

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Historical Background

 

1. The Cardo is a remnant of Aelia Capitolina.

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• Aelia is derived from the emperor’s family name (Aelius, from the gens Aelia), and Capitolina refers to the cult of the Capitoline Triad (Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva).

 

2. Aelia Capitolina was the Roman city built over the ruins of Jerusalem following the Jewish rebellions of 70 and 135 AD.

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• The Cardo Maximus, also known simply as the Cardo, was a paved, 22.5-meter-wide road running southward from the Damascus Gate. It was the main north-south boulevard of the ancient Roman city of Aelia Capitolina. For 500 years, it was the city's main commercial avenue, lined with shops and vendors.

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• Today, part of the street has been renovated, making it a unique experience in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter in the Old City.

 

3. The Cardo Maximus, also known simply as the Cardo, was the main north-south boulevard of the ancient Roman city of Aelia Capitolina.

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• Emperor Hadrian established Aelia Capitolina in 135 AD on the site of the destroyed city of Jerusalem. The term “Cardo” is taken from the Latin word “heart,” signifying its role as the main north-south axis in Roman cities.

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• During the Roman period, the Cardo Maximus originated at the Damascus Gate in the north and extended southwards, splitting into two branches. The western branch led up to the modern-day Jewish Quarter.

• The Cardo was the eastern branch that followed the route of Ha-gay Street towards the modern-day Western Wall Plaza.

 

Historical Periods of the Cardo

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First and Second Temple Period - 700 BC to 70 AD

 

• Although the Cardo Maximus is already 2.5M under the Modern street level, there are more layers of history underneath it as we go back in time. Earlier layers reveal the Hasmonean, Hellenistic, and early Roman periods. There are even remains from the 8th century BC period.​

 

Roman Period - 132 to 314 AD

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• The Cardo in Jerusalem was initially constructed during the Roman period, following the city's reestablishment as Aelia Capitolina by Emperor Hadrian in the 130s AD.

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• This north-south thoroughfare was designed to facilitate movement and commerce within the city.

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• The Roman Cardo began at the Damascus Gate in the north and extended southwards, forming the main axis of the city's layout.

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• Its western branch probably led up to the northern gate of the Tenth Legion's encampment on the western hill of Ancient Jerusalem. The eastern branch followed the channel of the Tyropoeon Valley, which was situated parallel to the Western Wall of the Herodian Temple Mount and presumably led toward the southern city gate in the vicinity of the modern-day Dung Gate.

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• The two branches of the street were lined with colonnades and featured a central open-air passageway flanked by porticoed sidewalks and shops, reflecting the typical Roman architectural style. The construction of the Cardos was part of a broader effort to Romanize Jerusalem, integrating it into the empire's network of cities.

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Byzantine Period - 314 to 614 AD

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• The Cardo appears on the Madaba map during the Byzantine period. The map is located at St. George's Church in Madaba. This detailed map, which dates to around 542 AD, shows most of the Holy Land area and the city of Jerusalem.

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• During the Byzantine period, significant developments were made to the Cardo in Jerusalem. In the 6th century AD, under the reign of Emperor Justinian, the Cardo was extended further south from its original Roman layout. This extension reached the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and continued to Zion Gate. 

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• The Byzantine Cardo maintained the colonnaded design of its Roman predecessor, featuring a central open-air passage flanked by sidewalks and shops. Excavations have revealed a Byzantine level on the southern side of the Cardo, which included restored columns and other architectural elements. The Madaba Map shows the Cardo, underscoring its importance in the city's layout during this period.

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• The Nea Church, built by Roman Emperor Justinian to honor Mary, the mother of Jesus, is also known as the New Church (Nea). It was a massive church built on the Cardo Maximus.

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• The false god temple Hadrian built over Golgotha was torn down, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built in its place. As the false god temple Hadrian built was the central focus of Aelia Capitolina, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre became the central focus of the original and renamed Jerusalem.

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Crusader Period - 1099 to 1291 AD

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• North of the modern Cardo shopping center in the Jewish Quarter are Arab shops. These shops are much older, are operated by Arab owners, and are built over the Cardo Maximus path.

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• This section, 125m (136 yards) in length, is located between David Street (Suq el Bazar) and El Saraya Street. It is parallel and east to the Muristan section of the Christian quarter. Here, the Crusaders split the wide Cardo Street (22.5m, 74 ft) into three north-south narrow alleys, which were converted to covered markets.

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• Along the walls are engraved inscriptions dating to the Crusaders' Period. These inscriptions, “ANNA,” “SCA ANNA,” and “SCA,” mark the owner of the Suq Lahamin market, in this case, the church of St. Anna.

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• Other streets show inscriptions, such as Templars (“T”). The markets were one of the institutes' sources of income in Medieval Jerusalem.

 

Muslim Period - 1291 to 1917 AD

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• In the 7th century, when Jerusalem fell under Muslim rule, the Cardo became an Arab-style marketplace.

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• Over the years, it slowly fell into ruins and was built over as the city was destroyed and rebuilt several times.

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Modern Period - 1917 to Present

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• During the Israeli-Arab War in 1948, the Jordanians conquered the Jewish quarter and deported its Jewish residents. The quarter was left in ruins for 19 years, until 1967. However, as a result of the Six-Day War, Jerusalem was re-united, now under Israeli sovereignty. The state of Israel strived to rebuild the Jewish quarter and repopulate it.

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• Before the construction began, a major archaeological project was launched, during which many discoveries were made. The archaeologists uncovered a section of the “Cardo Maximus.” Parts of the street, where Ottoman-era roofing was still intact, were developed into a commercial area, with some Byzantine-era columns repositioned. 

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• The modern restoration of the Cardo in Jerusalem began following its rediscovery during excavations in the Jewish Quarter in 1969. The restoration plan, heavily influenced by the depiction of the Cardo on the Madaba Map, aimed to preserve the ancient street's historical integrity while incorporating contemporary materials.

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• A portion of the Cardo has been rebuilt as a covered shopping arcade, reflecting the style of an ancient Roman street. This restored section serves as a modern shopping lane, with stores housed in the ancient Crusader-era shops. The restoration has transformed the Cardo into a lively touristic area, maintaining its historical significance while adapting it for contemporary use.

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Cardo Maximus Excavated Sites of Interest

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Corinthian Columns

 

• Situated in the heart of the Jewish Quarter, this section's exposed length is about 150 meters and some 2.5 meters below modern street level. 

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• Only five full columns stand at their original height and one at partial height. Simple bases supported monolithic shafts spaced 5.77 meters apart, which supported intricately carved Byzantine-style Corinthian capitals.

 

Remains of the Shops

 

• The Byzantine street was open to the sky in the center but was covered on both sides with terra cotta tiles supported by wood planks.

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• The roadway was divided into three parts: two colonnaded covered walks and a 12-meter-wide road in the center.

 

Pavement

 

• The central open pavement provided commercial access and ritual space. Some of the excavated Cardo sections are located under the modern houses of the Jewish quarter.

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• The street was covered with replaceable hard limestone slabs, as was customary with paved roads. Pavers that were filed smoothly were exposed everywhere.

 

Mural Painting

 

• A large mural painting shows what Cardo would have looked like 1,500 years ago. This vivid image of the bustling streets of Cardo displays the wears, a covered walkway, animals, and other colorful characters.

 

Replica of the Madaba Map

 

• This can be found just south of the main excavated section of the Cardo Maximus.

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• The part of the map depicts Jerusalem with the Cardo Maximus in the center as a colonnaded street.

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• Two important structures along the Cardo were the Nea Church and Holy Sepulchre.

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• The Cardo's most striking visual feature was its colonnade, clearly depicted on the Madaba Map.

 

Cardo by Damascus Gate Sites of Interest

 

Cardo Shops by the Damascus Gate

 

• Today, the Cardo is the division between the Christian and Muslim quarters.

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• As in ancient times, this street was the main thoroughfare in the Old City, but today, it is much narrower.

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• For example, Suq Lahamin Street has 83 shops on both sides of the narrow alley. It is known by different names: “Vegetable Market,” “Spices Street,” “Herbs Street,” and “Butcher’s Market.”

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Places of Interest

 

1. Cardo Maximus

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2. Cardo Minor

 

3. Damascus Gate

 

4. Zion Gate

 

5. Temple Mount

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6. Muslim Quarter

 

7. Christian Quarter

 

8. Jewish Quarter

 

9. Armenian Quarter ​

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​10. Western Wall

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​11. Church of the Holy Sepulchre

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12. Cardo Maximus Excavations

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13. Cardo Minor Excavations

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14. Model of Byzantine Jerusalem at St. Peter Gallicantu Church 

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The Cardo In the Bible

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1. Jesus' prophecy that Jerusalem would be destroyed is fulfilled in its history.

Luke 19:41-44: And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

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Luke 23:28-29: But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’

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Faith Lesson

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1. God sent Israel and Judah prophet after prophet over a period of around 400 years to warn them against rejecting Him. God was more than patient with them. What about us? Do we take God's word and His warnings seriously?

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2. Judah, the southern part of Israel, should have seen God's seriousness when it saw the northern part of Israel deported to Assyria in 722 BC. What about us? Do we heed what God does to others and realize He could do the same to us if we continue rebelling against Him?

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3. God led all of Israel into captivity because they rejected Him. 

2 Kings 24:20: For because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. What about us? Do we genuinely believe there will be consequences to our rejection of God and living life as we want instead of following God's will for our lives?

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