Figure 1.--This photo was taken in Nazareth (an-Nasira) at the end of the 19th century. It shows the so-called Fountain of the Virgin. A group of women and children are drawing water. Looking closely at the two children in the foreground, you can see that the one on the left, wearing a different hat from the others, is a Christian, as indicated by the cross he wears around his neck.

Gihon Spring is also known as the Fountain of the Virgin or Saint Mary's Pool. It is located in the Kidron Valley. The reference to the Virgin is based on the legend that Mary washed the swaddling clothes of Jesus here. Human development of the Spring dated from the moddle Bronze Age. A fairly straight channel was cut 20 feet into the ground, and then covered with slabs hidden by foliage. The channel fed water from the spring to the oldest, or Upper Pool of Siloam, basicvally an aqueduct. It evolved as the main source of water for the Pool of Siloam in Jebus and the later City of David--the original site of Jerusalem.. It was an intermittent springs, meanin that the watr turbs on and off drung the day. It was a despenable water source that supported human settlement in waht would become ancient Jerusalem. This was not onlya suorce for drinking water, but initially also peovided water for irrigating ardens in the nrearby Kidron Valley, water creating a food source for the ancient settlement of the Kiron Valley. The spring is located in a cave 0.5 km northward of the Pool of Siloam. Thefact that the spring was intermittent, it required the excavation of the Pool of Siloam. This created a ppol in which water could be stored for the town when the spring was not flowing. This meant, however, that the water table would be loweed because of overpumping. For centuries the spring flowed three to five times a day in winter and twice daily in summer, and once daily in autumn. This is a natural phenomenon. Apparenrly that the outlet from the reservoir is through a passage forming a siphon. The Spring is today controled by the Israeli Ir David Foundation. It is occadionally used by Jewish men as a kind of ritual bath (mikvah).

Created: 2:42 AM 2/4/2026
Last updated: 2:43 AM 2/4/2026