Interior of T1 - The Tomb of David?

Interior of T1 - The Tomb of David?

A picture of the interior of the 32 ft. preserved portion of the tunnel that is cut into the bedrock.  It is 8ft. wide and 6 ft high.

Zorn notes that in the back of this cavity there is a rectangular depression that was cut about a foot deep.  This depression is about 6 ft. long and 4 ft. wide.  I [CR] believe that this depression is just behind the stick of wood.

"If this cutting is original, and not one of the later modifications to the chamber, the obvious speculation is that it was meant for a human body or perhaps a sarcophagus." (Zorn, p. 49).

T1 seems to be the "tomb" that Zorn, and Shanks, believe was the Tomb of King David!

See here for an overview of "tomb" T1.


Raymond Weill excavated near the southern tip of the City of David (1913 to 1914).  This area of the City of David was subject to much quarrying after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 by the Romans.  Weill estimated that in some places 10 ft. of limestone had been quarried away!

The Bible says that the kings of Judah, from David to Ahaz (d. 732 BC) were buried in the City of David.  Some supposed that the unusual underground route of "Hezekiah's Tunnel" avoided passing under these "tombs."  This identification is questioned by many, but any firm alternatives are lacking.


Zorn, Jeffrey R. “Is T1 David's Tomb?” Biblical Archaeology Review 38, no. 6 (November/December, 2012): 44–52, 78.

Shanks, Hershel. “Is This King David's Tomb?” Biblical Archaeology Review 21, no. 1 (January/February, 1995): 62–67.