“Whoever controls the past controls the future. Whoever controls the present controls the past” – George Orwell, 1984
The conflict between Israel and Turkey over the 2,800-year-old Pool of Siloam is not just about archaeology. It is a conflict of narratives, legalities, and geopolitical identity — centered on Jerusalem, the most charged city in the Middle East.
The inscription was found in 1880 in Jerusalem, near the so-called Hezekiah Tunnel, and describes the construction of an aqueduct in the 8th century BC, during the reign of Hezekiah. It is written in ancient Hebrew script and is considered one of the oldest surviving Hebrew texts.
Historically: It provides archaeological confirmation of Jewish presence in Jerusalem during the pre-Babylonian period.
It corroborates passages from the Bible (2 Chronicles 32:30). It is associated with the so-called “City of David”, the historical core of ancient Jerusalem.
The inscription was transferred to Constantinople when the region was under Ottoman rule, and has been on display in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum since 1883.
Netanyahu vs. Erdogan: Not Just for a Stone
The recent standoff between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shows that the battle over the past is a battle over the future of Jerusalem.
Netanyahu, speaking from the archaeological site of the “City of David,” declared: “It is our city, Mr. Erdogan. It is not yours. It will not be divided again.”
Erdogan’s response was equally charged: “Turkey has served Jerusalem for 400 years. With wisdom and tolerance, we have made it a land of peace. We will not hand it over to you.”
The core of the dispute is not simply the return of an ancient artifact. It is Israel’s attempt to establish, through archaeology, the narrative of an “undivided and eternal Jerusalem” under Jewish control.
Turkey and Ottoman interventionism
Turkey claims a role as “custodian” of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, based on Ottoman heritage. Erdogan has repeatedly stated that:
- Jerusalem’s Ottoman past justifies Turkish participation in international decisions on the city’s future.
- Turkey does not recognize Israel as the sole legal administrator of historical and religious sites.
Refusing to return the inscription constitutes a political stance of non-recognition of Jerusalem as the “undisputed capital of Israel,” as Israel wishes to present it.
Historical presence and legal sovereignty
The Turkish side counters that the inscription, while important, does not provide legal legitimacy for Israeli claims. Turkish international law professor Enver Bozkurt stated: “The presence of a civilization in a place does not establish sovereign rights in perpetuity. If that were the case, the Romans would be claiming the Mediterranean today.”
Furthermore, Turkish historians emphasize that: The connection of archaeological findings with modern political sovereignty is scientifically arbitrary. The interpretation and dating of the inscription remains a matter of debate in the academic community.
Archaeology as a political weapon
The inscription was discovered in 1880 – at the same time that the Zionist movement was beginning to gain strength. Its use as “historical proof” of Jewish presence served the ideological need of Jewish nationalism to take historical root in the territory of Palestine.
To this day, its existence: Supports the Israeli narrative of eternal Jewish presence while reinforcing the rejection of the “two-state” model, since Israel considers Jerusalem exclusively its own.
For Turkey (and the Muslim world in general), this argument opens dangerous gates of “historical revisionism” that could justify other colonial claims in the future.
What is at stake: Political dominance through cultural heritage
The symbolism of the Siloam inscription is immense:
- For Israel: Proof of Jewish antiquity and operational support for its territorial claim to Jerusalem.
- For Turkey: Stability and maintaining political influence in the Muslim narrative about Jerusalem.
- For Palestine: Another episode in the international effort to consolidate Israeli monopoly in the city.
History, Ideology, and Global Diplomacy
The battle over the Siloam Inscription shows that History is not the past – it is a tool of power in the present. Archaeology, when used ideologically, ends up constructing “specific narratives” that serve geopolitical goals.
As the Middle East sinks back into uncertainty, such “cultural clashes” may be harbingers of more tangible conflicts — military, diplomatic, or institutional. For now, the inscription remains in Constantinople, out of public view. And with it, a big question remains locked away: Who owns Jerusalem? The answer is not found in a stone alone.
It lies in whether the peoples of the region will choose the past as a cause for war — or as a lesson in coexistence.
