Cardo

The Cardo is recognizable by its rows of ancient stone columns and expansive, partially vaulted ceiling, which enclose a wide walkway originally paved by the Romans. This thoroughfare was the primary north-to-south artery of Jerusalem, first laid out by the Emperor Hadrian in the second century to serve the Roman colony of Aelia Capitolina. In the sixth century, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian extended the road further south, creating a bustling commercial route that connected the Damascus Gate to the area near the Zion Gate.