Mary’s spring

A Holy spring which was the center of the ancient village. According to tradition, virgin Mary stopped here to drink while visiting John the Baptist’s parents.

History:

The spring was the nucleus of the Canaanite city in the Bronze period, and its waters were used as the main source of water for thousands of years since then.  Ein Kerem is named after the spring.

A 30M rock hewn tunnel was constructed during the second temple period in order to increase the spring’s capacity.

According to Christian tradition, virgin Mary stopped here to drink from the spring, and was named after Mary. Therefore, the spring is Holy for Christians. Pilgrims used to tap these waters into bottles and take them back home as a holy souvenirs.

A mosque, whose tower rises above the structure of the spring,  was built over Mary’s spring in the 2nd half of the 19th century.