Southern Steps leading to Temple Mount in Jerusalem: Where pilgrims once ascended to meet God

It’s not uncommon for tour guides to tell tourists that they are standing where Jesus once stood, but many times it’s hard to really know for sure. There are some exceptions, however, such as the Magdala Synagogue beside the Sea of Galilee and the Southern Steps in Jerusalem. 

Some of the stones at the Southern Steps are original and date back to the time of Jesus, forming the very steps He would have used to enter the temple. While others were added during later restorations, many of the original stones are still visible today.

ALL ISRAEL NEWS correspondent Oriel Moran explained that the history of the site spans over 5,000 years, from the time of the Canaanites through the era of Jesus and beyond. The steps have witnessed many defining moments in history. Jewish sages once sat there teaching their disciples near the temple, which is why the site is also known as "The Rabbi Stairs."

The sacred steps led up to approach the temple from the south, towards what were known as the Huldah Gates. Two sets of double gates led into a double-vaulted entrance hall toward the elevated temple plaza. The remains of the gates can still be seen today.

In Mishnah Kelim 1:6, the Talmud delineates ten grades of geographical holiness that increase in concentric circles, with the whole land of Israel being on one level, the city of Jerusalem another, then the temple court, the temple itself, and ultimately the holy place and the holy of holies being the most holy place of all. 

The idea of ascending, or “aliyah” in Hebrew, refers to “going up” to the land of Israel from the nations, “going up” to Jerusalem from within the land itself, and when in Jerusalem pilgrims would go up the steps to the temple. Fifteen of the Psalms (120-134) are about going up to the temple and are called “songs of ascent.” The idea speaks of stepping up, ascending toward God, and going to meet Him in the place He chose to put His name.

For this reason, since the time of King Herod, the steps were made deliberately irregular, designed in such a manner as to encourage pilgrims to concentrate on their ascent and descent in order not to take a fall. This was to help people focus on the spiritual reason they were there – to meet God and to combat distractions. 

Before making their ascent up the stairs towards the temple, pilgrims would ritually purify themselves in a ritual bath, or “mikveh,” or pools in the area such as the nearby Pool of Siloam in the City of David. Nearly 50 such baths from the Second Temple period have been found at the base of the steps, along with part of a structure dating back to Solomon’s time in the 10th century B.C.E. Each mikveh has two sets of steps – one side for descending into the water for full immersion, and the other for ascending afterward, now ritually pure.

The Jerusalem Archaeological Park, also known as the Davidson Center, has developed the whole area south of the Temple Mount to help visitors get a glimpse of what life was like in biblical times.

The ancient pilgrim’s road, Herodian Street, was once the main route people would take up to the temple some 2,000 years ago and has now been opened to the public, giving a sense of what it may have felt like to be part of the crowd ascending to the temple to worship.

Similarly, the huge stones that once were part of the temple complex still lie scattered at the base of the Temple Mount after the destruction in 70 A.D., just as Jesus said would happen: 

“Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, 'You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.'” (Matthew 24:1–2)

The entire area around the Southern Steps and the archeological park gives visitors a clear sense of the history of the temple, and the experience of connecting with the life of Jesus in a tangible way.