First Temple Tombs - West Wall

View looking east at two late Judean Tombs.  The grill on the left is the entrance to the north tomb that contains a central chamber and two burial benches—compare the tombs at the Ecole Biblique.

On the right are two grills that are entrances to the south tomb in which the burial benches have been hewn away—compare what happened to the "Garden Tomb."

Note the rock carvings on both sides of the tomb.

These tombs probably date to the late Judean Monarchy—say, from late 700's up to the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 B.C.  They of course were reused in later periods.  they are located just south of the Jaffa Gate Citadel (a.k.a. "Tower of David").

The dark areas are sewage leaking from the Armenian Quarter that is located behind the Old City Wall that was built by Suleiman the Magnificent (1537–1541).