Many hands sifting together

The End of the Sifting for the Prevalent Finds

Three weeks ago we finished sifting the soil from area KI4, and in the coming days we will be finishing the preliminary sorting and registering of the finds from this area. Finishing the sifting of this area was very meaningful because it…
Digging trench on Temple Mount
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A new small scale trench near the Dome of the Rock

Yesterday the Waqf began a new small scale construction dig just a few meters from the northwest side of the Dome of the Rock. The purpose of the work was to expose an old water pipe in order to replace it. Today we visited the site and found…
National Geographic article Excavation Impossible
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Appearance in National Geographic

The latest November issue of National Geographic has a section that deals with artifacts that were retrieved from sites where it was not possible to excavate them. The TMSP had a very respectful appearance in this section as the first site mentioned…
statistical distribution table of vegetables
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Reconstructing the Context of Our Frequent Finds

When we began transferring the mounds of Temple Mount material from the Kidron Valley dump to the Tzurim Valley National Park, we divided the dump into various areas.  We suspected that the order of the removal of the earth from the Temple…
News Item - Debris removed from Temple Mount sparks controversy
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An Extensive Article in the Jerusalem Post about the Debris Removal

Following the tour we conducted yesterday for journalists, Melanie Lidman from the Jerusalem Post published an extensive article about the debris removal from last week. In this article, the police spokesmen is quoted saying: “Antiquities…
Dismantled section of Eastern wall
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A Tour for Journalists on the Temple Mount and Major Problems in the Eastern Temple Mount Wall

Yesterday we conducted a tour for journalists on the Temple Mount which focused on the issues mentioned in our report concerning the antiquities destruction on the Temple Mount during the past 3 years. We examined the debris heaps in the location…
Following the truck
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It Appears Our Outcry Succeeded in Stopping the Earth Removal

The story of the debris heaps removal from the Temple Mount was widely covered by the Israeli media last week. As a result of following one of the trucks, we discovered the material was being deposited at an illegal dumping site (Fig 1). Evidently,…
Modern debris - mixed with Temple Mount soil - removed from the Temple Mount
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Update on Recent Earthworks on the Temple Mount

As mentioned in the report in the previous post, there is a Supreme Court ruling from 2004 that forbids the removal of dirt from the Temple Mount without notifying the Temple Mount Antiquities Rescue Committee 30 days in advance. This is to…
Architectural marble stones from Byzantine and Early Moslem periods
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Antiquities Damage on the Temple Mount in the Years 2010-2012

Following is a report we published on Sunday this week. Since then new earthworks activity began in the Eastern debris heaps in the Temple Mount, which was covered by Israeli media news reports. We will publish a detailed report about these…
Ancient beams on the Temple Mount
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Regarding the Reports about Ancient Wooden Beams being Burnt in the Temple Mount

Earlier this week there were some reports in the media about Arabs burning “First Temple Cedars of Lebanon.” These reports were based more on assumptions than facts. The facts are that the stack of wooden beams that was lying on the ground…
Ohad Tal

Saying Farewell to Ohad and Rachel

It is with sad hearts that we announce that we are losing two of our most valued staff members at the Sifting Project. As of November 1, our site manager Ohad Tal and our office manager Rachel Nachum will be leaving for other employment. Both…
artifacts exhibition

Some Nice Pictures from the Exhibition