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Temple Mount Sifting Project
The Temple Mount Sifting Project (TMSP; formerly known as the Temple Mount Salvage Operation) is an archaeological project begun in 2004 whose aim is the recovery and study of archaeological artifacts contained within debris which were removed from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem without proper archaeological care.
The project sifting facility was located until 2017 in Emek Tzurim National Park. In June 2019 it moved to the Masu’ot Lookout at Mount Scopus.
Despite its historical importance, no archaeologist has ever been able to carry out a systematic excavation on the Temple Mount. This was the state of affairs, when in November 1999 approximately 9,000 tons of archaeologically rich soil were removed from the Temple Mount by the Waqf, using heavy earth moving equipment and without a preceding salvage excavation or proper archaeological care, following works in and around the newly constructed underground el-Marwani Mosque.
The debris was moved to several locations, with the lion's share (an estimated 350 truckloads) dumped in the Kidron Valley, near the north-eastern corner of the old city. These soil heaps were inspected and sampled by Israel Antiquities Authority officials, but no full-scale excavation ensued.
In 2004, an excavation permit was issued to Israeli archaeologists Gabriel Barkay and Zachi Dvira (Zweig), under the auspices of Bar-Ilan University, who, with funding from private backers through the Israel Exploration Society, proceeded to retrieve most of the heaps of soil and move them to a secure location provided by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in the Emek Tzurim National Park.
In 2005, after experiencing financial difficulties, the project collaborated with the Ir-David foundation, who took responsibility on the administration of the sifting site, while the scientific oversight retained by Barkay and Dvira. Over the years, in addition to its scientific mission, the project took on an educational and touristic character as well, drawing hundreds of thousands of volunteers and tourists who briefly joined the sifting activity, supervised by staff members.
In April 2017, the Sifting Project withdrew its partnership with the Ir David Foundation and discontinued active sifting, focusing instead on laboratory research of artifacts already recovered. The Sifting Project has held several Crowdfunding campaigns, and as of December 2018, has enough funds to keep afloat, but not enough to complete all research nor to resume the sifting, which has continued sporadically, and a public commitment by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to provide government backing for the Project, has yet to bear fruit. The Ir David Foundation retains the former sifting site of the project in Emek Tzurim and runs there an "Archaeological Experience", where visitors sift soil from various excavations in Jerusalem. Active sifting of Temple Mount soil resumed in June 2019, in a new site atop Mount Scopus.
Unable to apply traditional excavation techniques to the disturbed soil, the project founders opted to sift the entirety of the soil retrieved from the dumping grounds. At the sifting site, the soil was dry-sifted and transferred into buckets, where it was left to soak. The remaining soil was then washed off over a wire mesh, and archaeological artifacts hand-picked from among remaining stones and modern refuse. This process was mostly undertaken by volunteers and tourists, under supervision of experienced staff. Objects retrieved from the wet-sifting process are then sorted and cataloged by on-site archaeologists, and transferred to an archaeological laboratory, to be further studied by specialists who prepare the finds for publication. Much like an archaeological survey, the types of finds are categorized, counted and compared to different types both within the site and in nearby sites.
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Temple Mount Sifting Project
The Temple Mount Sifting Project (TMSP; formerly known as the Temple Mount Salvage Operation) is an archaeological project begun in 2004 whose aim is the recovery and study of archaeological artifacts contained within debris which were removed from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem without proper archaeological care.
The project sifting facility was located until 2017 in Emek Tzurim National Park. In June 2019 it moved to the Masu’ot Lookout at Mount Scopus.
Despite its historical importance, no archaeologist has ever been able to carry out a systematic excavation on the Temple Mount. This was the state of affairs, when in November 1999 approximately 9,000 tons of archaeologically rich soil were removed from the Temple Mount by the Waqf, using heavy earth moving equipment and without a preceding salvage excavation or proper archaeological care, following works in and around the newly constructed underground el-Marwani Mosque.
The debris was moved to several locations, with the lion's share (an estimated 350 truckloads) dumped in the Kidron Valley, near the north-eastern corner of the old city. These soil heaps were inspected and sampled by Israel Antiquities Authority officials, but no full-scale excavation ensued.
In 2004, an excavation permit was issued to Israeli archaeologists Gabriel Barkay and Zachi Dvira (Zweig), under the auspices of Bar-Ilan University, who, with funding from private backers through the Israel Exploration Society, proceeded to retrieve most of the heaps of soil and move them to a secure location provided by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in the Emek Tzurim National Park.
In 2005, after experiencing financial difficulties, the project collaborated with the Ir-David foundation, who took responsibility on the administration of the sifting site, while the scientific oversight retained by Barkay and Dvira. Over the years, in addition to its scientific mission, the project took on an educational and touristic character as well, drawing hundreds of thousands of volunteers and tourists who briefly joined the sifting activity, supervised by staff members.
In April 2017, the Sifting Project withdrew its partnership with the Ir David Foundation and discontinued active sifting, focusing instead on laboratory research of artifacts already recovered. The Sifting Project has held several Crowdfunding campaigns, and as of December 2018, has enough funds to keep afloat, but not enough to complete all research nor to resume the sifting, which has continued sporadically, and a public commitment by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to provide government backing for the Project, has yet to bear fruit. The Ir David Foundation retains the former sifting site of the project in Emek Tzurim and runs there an "Archaeological Experience", where visitors sift soil from various excavations in Jerusalem. Active sifting of Temple Mount soil resumed in June 2019, in a new site atop Mount Scopus.
Unable to apply traditional excavation techniques to the disturbed soil, the project founders opted to sift the entirety of the soil retrieved from the dumping grounds. At the sifting site, the soil was dry-sifted and transferred into buckets, where it was left to soak. The remaining soil was then washed off over a wire mesh, and archaeological artifacts hand-picked from among remaining stones and modern refuse. This process was mostly undertaken by volunteers and tourists, under supervision of experienced staff. Objects retrieved from the wet-sifting process are then sorted and cataloged by on-site archaeologists, and transferred to an archaeological laboratory, to be further studied by specialists who prepare the finds for publication. Much like an archaeological survey, the types of finds are categorized, counted and compared to different types both within the site and in nearby sites.