Lift project in Old Jerusalem leads to surprising finds

Hebrew University archaeologists Dr Oren Gutfeld, left, and Michal Haber, pose at the site of a Jewish ritual bath near the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem (Maya Alleruzzo/AP)

A project that aims to increase access for disabled people to Jerusalem’s Western Wall has turned into an extensive archaeological excavation into the ancient city’s history.

Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem say they have made numerous discoveries at the site of a new lift installation, including an ornate first-century villa with its own attached ritual bath a stone’s throw from where the biblical Temple stood.