The Broad Wall was built during Hezekiah’s expansion of the city. Jews from the northern tribes of Israel, who had been overrun by the Assyrians in 721 BC, migrated down to Judah and the city of Jerusalem for protection at this time. They settled outside the city walls to the west on the Western Hill.
To protect them and their residences Hezekiah fortified the western part of this newly expanded city around 721 BC with a wall. The uncovered remains of this wall are 23 feet wide and 213 feet long. This portion of the wall ran west from the Temple Mount toward the western corner of the southwestern hill (which would be the Citadel today).
Political/Cultural Significance
The discovery in the 1970s of the rather unobtrusive 23 foot thick foundations of an Old Testament city was hailed as one of the most important archaeological finds in the Jewish Quarter.
Biblical Significance
Isaiah 22:8-11Evidence uncovered during excavation seems to indicate that Hezekiah had to destroy some homes in order to build it.
