Cardo Maximus: The Historical Backbone of Jerusalem
Originally published: August 2023 | Last updated: June 2025
The Cardo Maximus in Jerusalem was the main north-south thoroughfare in the ancient Roman and Byzantine city. The word Cardo means in Latin ‘hinge’ or ‘axis’. Today, remnants of this historic street can be seen in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. It stretches from the Damascus Gate to the north, almost reaching the Zion Gate in the south.
Historical Context
The Cardo in Jerusalem originated during the Roman period, following the city’s reestablishment as Aelia Capitolina in the 130s CE. It was part of Hadrian’s deliberate effort to rebuild Jerusalem as a Roman city, complete with a grid plan of narrow streets and wider avenues, reflecting typical Roman urban design principles. The main Cardo Maximus ran from the Damascus Gate in the north southward.
The Cardo was extended significantly during the Byzantine period, especially in the 6th century under Emperor Justinian. This extension connected the Church of the Holy Sepulchre with the newly built Zion Gate in the southern part of the city. The Byzantine Cardo was characterized by a colonnaded design, featuring a central open-air passage flanked by sidewalks and shops. It was designed for both commercial activity and ceremonial processions, such as religious marches, reflecting the city’s transformation into a prominent Christian center.
Excavation Background
In the 1970s, a series of excavations in the Cardo’s southern region suggested that the Byzantine emperor Justinian I might have played a role in constructing certain sections of the Cardo Maximus. Between 1970 and 1981, archeologist Nahman Avigad led excavations on a 600-foot stretch of the Cardo’s southern part. These digs unearthed around 60 Byzantine architectural elements, including column bases, columns, and capitals. Interestingly, while some column bases remained in their original position, many architectural features found new life in subsequent structures along the Cardo Maximus. A significant revelation was that this section of the Cardo was constructed directly atop bedrock, devoid of any prior Roman construction signs. This discovery lent credence to the theory that Justinian might have overseen the Cardo’s southern part construction. Avigad’s excavations also brought to light a splendid basilica identified as the Nea Church. Justinian’s intent behind the Nea Church was to counterbalance the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Furthermore, the emperor aimed to extend the Cardo southwards, creating a paved route connecting the Nea Church to the Holy Sepulchre. One of the Nea’s original columns still stands adjacent to King David‘s Tomband the Room of the Last Supper.
Open-air Section of the Cardo
This section, approximately 150 meters long, is visible in the heart of the Jewish Quarter, situated about 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) below the modern street level. The original thoroughfare was about 73 feet (22 meters) wide. The roadway was divided into three parts: a 12-meter-wide central road flanked by two colonnaded, covered walks. The columns, made of hard limestone, were spaced 5.77 meters apart and originally about five meters high.
Shopping Arcade
The modern restoration of the Cardo transformed a portion of it into a covered shopping arcade. Shops are set into ancient Crusader-era shops and vaults, reflecting the style of an ancient Roman street while serving contemporary commercial use. This area is sometimes referred to as the Cardo market or souvenir market.
A large and colorful wall mural
in the Cardo Maximus of the Jewish Quarter depicts how the street might have looked in the Byzantine period. The mural features three notable figures in the left-hand corner: former mayor Teddy Kollek, archaeologist Nachman Avigad (who led many of the excavations in the area), and the artist. It also includes a painting of a young boy in modern dress in the lower right, adding a time-traveler element.
The Madaba Map Jerusalem
The Cardo displays a copy of the Madaba map, floor mosaic discovered in Jordan in the late 19th century. It is a relic from the sixth-century CE, is a Byzantine portrayal of the Cardo Maximus paints it as a bustling Roman-style avenue, lined with colonnades. This detailed map was instrumental in guiding archaeologists, in their search for and reconstruction of the Cardo’s remains. The map shows Jerusalem in an aerial perspective from the west, with the Cardo Maximus as a straight line crossing the city from north (Damascus Gate) to south (Zion Gate/Holy Zion Church). It also shows fine details like tile roofs, wood planks, and pillars, which were later confirmed by excavations.
Sites Along the Cardo Maximus
- Damascus Gate: Located in the North of the Old City, the Damascus Gate is one of the main entrances to the Old City of Jerusalem.
- Station 7 of the Via Dolorosa: Station 7 marks the spot where Jesus fell for the second time on his way to Golgotha.
- Junction with Decumanus Maximus (Muristan Area): This intersection was the location of the city’s main forum, later occupied by the Muristan. It served as a bustling commercial and social hub.
- Ecce Homo Arch and “Lithostratos” (Eastern Forum/Struthion Pool Pavement): This triple-arched gateway near the Struthion Pool marked the entrance to Hadrian’s secondary eastern forum. The pavement of the Struthion Pool, referred to by some as the biblical “Lithostratos,” can be seen beneath the Convent of the Sisters of Zion.
- Crusader Period Markets: During the Crusader period (1099-1187 CE), three covered markets were built directly on the foundations of the Cardo Maximus.
- Nea Church (Byzantine): The remains of this large 6th-century Byzantine church, built by Emperor Justinian, stood along the Byzantine southern section of the Cardo Maximus. It was a key landmark connected by the Cardo’s southern extension.
- Zion Gate: This gate served as the southern terminus of the Cardo Maximus, marking the extended southern boundary of the city during the Byzantine period.
Additional Information
Roman Period and the Founding of Aelia Capitolina
- Pre-135 CE: Emperor Hadrian makes the decision to establish a Roman city in Jerusalem with a pagan temple on the Temple Mount, leading to the construction of Aelia Capitolina.
- 130 CE: Emperor Hadrian visits Jerusalem during his imperial tour.
- 132-135 CE: The Bar Kokhba Revolt, a second Jewish uprising, occurs in Judea, with devastating effects on the local Jewish population.
- 135 CE: The Bar Kokhba Revolt ends. The Roman city of Aelia Capitolina is founded on the ruins of Jerusalem by Emperor Hadrian. The city is intended as a Roman colony, a traditional settlement for veterans, and an armed outpost of Rome.
- After 135 CE (Founding of Aelia Capitolina): Roman administration takes over the city’s lands. A significant portion of the population consists of Roman army veterans and settlers from the western empire. A temple dedicated to Venus is built in the Muristan area, possibly near or next to a temple of Jupiter. Two main streets, the Cardo and Decumanus, are laid out as part of the typical Roman grid plan. The Cardo Maximus (main north-south street) runs from Damascus Gate to Zion Gate, and a second eastern Cardo (Cardo Orientalis) runs from Damascus Gate to Dung Gate (later extending to Siloam).
Byzantine Period
- 324 CE – 337 CE (Constantine’s Reign): Emperor Constantine, who became Emperor of the Roman Empire in 324 CE, builds in Jerusalem, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There is a debate about whether he extended the Cardo.
- 527 CE – 565 CE (Justinian’s Reign): Emperor Justinian builds a large church, “Nea Church,” in the area of today’s “Batey Mahaseh.” The Byzantine Cardo in the Jewish Quarter is dated to his period (6th century CE), connecting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre with the Nea Church. This Cardo is confirmed by Byzantine pottery and Corinthian capitals found in excavations, and its construction follows the Byzantine foot (32 cm) rather than the Roman foot (29.6 cm). Important religious processions occur along this axis.
Later Periods
- 614 CE – 629 CE: Persian control of Jerusalem lasts until 629 CE.
- Crusader Period: The Cardo, as Jerusalem’s main longitudinal street, continues to serve this function. It branches into three Crusader market streets (Goldsmiths Street, Spices Street, Butchers Street) near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This market, called “Goods Sale Market,” is built on the Cardo’s alignment. Today, the names of the two streets on either side are Jewish Street and Chabad Street.
