1,500-year-old cistern under Jerusalem playground could open to the public

The Jerusalem Municipality began renovating a playground on Wednesday in the Katamon neighborhood, where a 1,500-year-old water cistern uncovered then more than a decade ago might now become a national site.

Discovered in 2005 as a well-preserved relic, the cistern was approximately half the size of an Olympic-sized pool, according to documentation by now-retired Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Uzi Dahari and engineer Ofer Cohen.

Measuring 2,422 square feet in area, its maximum volume is around 300,000 gallons.

The head of the IAA Jerusalem region, Yuval Baruch, said the IAA is open to assisting the municipality in what is needed to grant public access to the site.