The cave is closed until further notice.
Under the old city’s buildings, a wonderful cave is hidden, wide and beautiful. Zedekiah’s Cave is one of Jerusalem’s’ marvels and it’s open to the public.
Zedekiah’s Cave is 225 m long and it served as an ancient quarry. The stone known by its Arabic name “Malaka” was mined here – a fine building stone that served to create the magnificent buildings of Jerusalem. As known today, the mining began at the First Temple period. Josephus called it the “Cave of Kings”. At the early 20th century stones were still mined in the cave and were used to build the “Clock Tower”, previously standing above the Jaffa Gate – but destroyed during the British Mandate.
Previously, the cave was identified as the escape route for Zedekiah, the last Judean king, as he fled the Chaldeans during the First Temple Period. The legend says that during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, Zedekiah took this cave route to get to Jericho. The Muslim tradition recognizes the cave as the place where the earth swallowed Korach and his congregation as a punishment for his rebellious attempt against Moses. The Freemasons order adopted the ancient quarry as a place for their gatherings.
It is recommended to visit this site and take a walk at the Northern Walls Promenade.
The entrance is per fee. The place is available for special events.
How to get there?
Walk upwards from the Jaffa Gate (parking available) along the City Walls garden. When reaching the Damascus Gate, you’ll find the entrance to the cave hidden between the Damascus and the Flowers gates.
Walk upward from Jaffa Gate (parking available) to the Northern promenade (towards the Lion’s Gate), walk down at the Damascus Gate. The entrance to the cave is hidden about 100 meters east of Damascus Gate.
By public transportation: Light rail / Egged lines leading to Sultan Suleiman Street / Damascus Gate. You can walk to the site from Safra Square.
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