Why Jerusalem Is Building An Underground City Of The Dead

Despite having developed several multi-storey burial structures in locations around Israel over the past few decades, the need for extra burial sites in the country is still growing. An Israeli burial society has recently initiated a 50 million dollar one-of-a-kind underground burial compound inMount Shaul in Jerusalem.

What is it anyway?

The compound, named Har HaMenuchot, which is Hebrew for ‘The Mountain of the Deceased’, will contain over 22,000 crypts, out of which over 10,000 will have individual graves, which is about four times more than the overground burial site has at the moment.

Workers inside the massive partially constructed underground burial tunnels

Why is it needed?

Workers looking inside one of the burial shafts

How will it work?

While the whole beehive-like compound will be accessible by foot or by golf carts, the main shaft of the site, which is dug 50 metres (164 feet) deep into the ground, will have 3,000 graves spanning over four walls. It will be reachable by three lifts, with each one accommodating 30 people at a time. In addition, the design includes a small museum on the bottom level, in which archaeological artefacts related to Jewish burial traditions will be on display.

Openings in the mountainside will allow penetration of sunlight, along with the innovative lighting and cooling systems that will be installed at the site.

Underground burial tunnels project at the Givat Shaul Cemetery, Har HaMenuchot, in Jerusalem

The initial establishment of the site, which will provide about 6,000 graves, will be followed by more, to be opened over the next few years. The project may be joined by additional burial groups in Israel, which have expressed interest in the project.

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