Israel’s archaeological services announced Wednesday the discovery of a “mysterious” handprint engraved in stone, more than a millennium old, outside the Old City of Jerusalem.
The find was unearthed in East Jerusalem, part of the Holy City occupied and annexed by Israel, during excavations that revealed remains of fortifications and a defensive ditch dating from before the capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders in 1099, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said in a statement.
Dug into the rock, this ditch 10 meters wide and up to 7 m deep in places then surrounded the city between two seven-meter high walls, writes the IAA.
According to historians of the time, it took the Frankish knights five weeks to cross it and break through the city’s defences, the statement added.
As for the engraved handprint, discovered near Herod’s Gate, on the northern part of the current Old City walls (built in the 16th century during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent), “to date, archaeologists have not solved the mystery of (its) meaning”, writes the IAA.
“Is this the symbol of something? The indication of a specific item nearby? Or is it just a local hoax?” continues the text: “Perhaps we will know with time”.
