Handprint in 1000-Year-Old Moat Used to Defend Jerusalem's Old City Baffles Researchers; Archaeologists Unsure If It Was Symbolic Or a Prank

A mysterious handprint was found in the mote that once surrounded the Old City of Jerusalem. And the discovery left archaeologists baffled as they couldn't make sense of it.

Handprint Discovered While Excavating an Infrastructure Project

Archaeologists were excavating the area around an infrastructure project to expand a road near Herod's Gate, which initially uncovered part of the moat.

The moat was built to stop the crusaders from invading the holy city. While the moat's purpose was clear, the imprint they found in the 1000-year-old moat surrounding Jerusalem's Old City has remained a mystery, Daily Mail reported.

The researchers asked themselves if the handprint symbolized something or pointed to a particular element. They also keep their mind open to the possibility that it was just a prank and had no purpose. According to the researchers, only time will tell if the handprint means something more.

More About Jerusalem's Old City Moat

The walls and gates of the Old City are still visible today. They were built in the 16th century by the Turkish Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I, the Magnificent.

According to Dr. Amit Re'em, Jerusalem Region Director at IAA, the earlier defensive walls surrounding the ancient city of Jerusalem were much stronger.

Crusaders had to cross the moat and climb over two thick surrounding walls to attack. However, their opponents manned the walls and poured fire and sulfur from the top.

Aside from the guards, there were reportedly secret tunnels in the fortifications uncovered by the IAA archaeologists in their previous excavations. The secret tunnels would allow the defenders to attack the Crusaders by surprise. They would emerge into the moat and disappear back into the city.

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The Crusades were among the bloodiest battles of the later Middle Ages between 1095 and 1291. During the religious wars, Christian invaders fought to claim the near East.

Crusaders reportedly had two missions - to free eastern Christians from Muslims and free the Holy Sepulchre, containing the tomb of Jesus, from the Muslims.

The keyholder in the church is Adeeb Jawad Joudeh Al Husseini, a Muslim. He is not paid for his duty but takes pride in his job.

According to him, BBC reported that Muslims and Christians live together and consider each other as brothers in Jerusalem.

Conservation of Jerusalem's City Walls

The moat segment in the northern wall of the Old City, east of Damascus Gate, has been conserved. According to Antiquities, the northeastern wall of the Old City has been mentioned throughout history as the weakest point in the fortifications as it was the segment where the Crusaders and Ayyubids conquered the city.

The moat wall is reportedly founded on a bedrock undergoing disintegration, so crumbling and detachment are apparent.

They want to conserve the moat to stabilize the remains of the ancient wall. They plan to remove vegetation and fill in the cavities between bedrocks. They also aimed to complete the stonework, not for constructive purposes but to underscore the architectural value of the skyline.