from the joining of the stones. The reservoir was used to collect water flowing into it from surrounding areas, through horizontal aqueducts made of stone and feeding into vertical canals in the external walls of the reservoir. One of these vertical canals can still be seen today and is located at the level of the main entrance of the El-Marwani Mosque. It is semi-circular and is lined with a Roman fuller of limestone mixed with ground clay and sand. The flooring of the reservoir is made of stone, but is covered with layers of silt that have accumulated over the years." Artifacts The soil removed from the dig was dumped near the Mount of Olives and a salvage operation, the Temple Mount Sifting Project, was undertaken in order to sift through the debris for archaeological remains. Many important finds have turned up. Israeli Antiques Authority published a report in 1999. According to this report: 14 percent of the shards dated to the First Temple period 19 percent to the Second Temple period 6 percent to the Roman period 14 percent to the Byzantine period 15 percent to the early Muslim and medieval periods 32 percent could not be identified. In a June 2000 interview with The Jerusalem Post, the chief Waqf archaeologist said that his colleagues examined the material taken out of the dig "either before or after the excavation" and "found nothing of special interest". In 2016 exquisite floor tiles of the Roman opus sectile type discovered during the sifting process were published and interpreted as likely belonging to the Herodian Temple complex, where they were adorning the floors of the porticos. Gallery References External links Interior views video (Arabic) Solomon's Stables and the Southern Gates Photos of Solomon's Stables at the Manar al-Athar photo archive Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC Military installations established in the 11th century Cavalry Classical sites in Jerusalem Herod the Great Kingdom of Jerusalem Knights Templar Medieval sites in Jerusalem Mosques in Jerusalem Second Temple Stables Temple Mount Umayyad architecture in the State of Palestine Solomon