Pool of the Arches
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The Pool of the Arches (Hebrew: Brechat Hakshatot), also known as The Pool of El Anzia or Saint Helena's Pool, is an ancient, enclosed underground water reservoir located in the city of Ramla in Central Israel.[1][2] Completed in 789 AD during the Abbasid Caliphate under the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, it is the only major architectural structure from the early Islamic Abbasid era to have survived intact in Israel.[3] The reservoir, which appears to have been supplied with water from a small spring directly beneath it, remains remarkably preserved despite having withstood devastating earthquakes over the past twelve centuries.[2] Today, the site serves as a popular historical monument and tourist attraction, famous for allowing visitors to row boats through its historic vaulted chambers.[4]
References
[edit]- ↑ "בריכת הקשתות ברמלה - אטרקציות ברמלה". www.goramla.com. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- 1 2 רייז, גד (2011-05-29). "The Pool of the Arches, Ramla". All About Jerusalem. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ Mashraki, Petal. "Pool of Arches in Ramla". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ LoveLoveIsrael (2016-03-01). "The Pool of Arches Ramla". LoveLoveIsrael. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
Further reading
[edit]- Nol, Hagit (2022). Settlement and Urbanization in Early Islamic Palestine, 7th-11th Centuries: Texts and Archaeology Contrasted. Taylor & Francis. p. 108. ISBN 978-1-000-56899-8.
- Darke, Diana (2024). Stealing from the Saracens: How Islamic Architecture Shaped Europe. Oxford University Press. pp. 212–213. ISBN 978-1-911723-47-9.
- Stub, Sara Toth (2022-02-28). "An underground boat to Islamic glory". BBC News. Retrieved 2026-09-27.