The 2,700-Year-Old Siloam Inscription: Israel’s Repatriation Request from Türkiye

The Siloam Inscription, dating back nearly 2,700 years, is considered one of the earliest known examples of Hebrew writing. Discovered near Jerusalem in 1880—then under Ottoman rule—the inscription was transferred to the Imperial Museum (today’s Istanbul Archaeology Museums), where it has been preserved ever since. While Israel has repeatedly requested its return, Turkish law classifies the artifact as state property, making repatriation legally impossible.

What does the inscription say?

Carved into the wall of a water tunnel built during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah in the 7th century BCE, the Siloam Inscription records the dramatic moment when two teams of workers, digging from opposite directions, finally broke through to meet in the middle.

The six-line text reads:

Line 1: …the excavation; the account of how the tunnel was cut…
Line 2: While the pickaxes were against each other, and three cubits remained to be cut, the voice of one man was heard calling to his fellow.
Line 3: Then the workers on both sides called out to one another, for the tunnel had been broken through from both directions. And on that day…
Line 4: The tunnel was completed, and the stonecutters met pickaxe against pickaxe.
Line 5: The waters flowed from the spring to the reservoir, 1,200 cubits away.
Line 6: The height of the rock above the heads of the workers was 100 cubits.

This text not only documents an extraordinary feat of ancient engineering but also aligns with biblical accounts of King Hezekiah’s efforts to secure Jerusalem against the Assyrian siege.

From Ottoman Jerusalem to modern Istanbul

At the time of its discovery, Jerusalem was still part of the Ottoman Empire. The inscription was legally transferred to Istanbul, where it remains one of the highlights of the Archaeology Museums’ epigraphic collection. Under Turkey’s Law No. 2863 on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets, the artifact is classified as state property and cannot be transferred abroad.

Israel’s repeated requests

Israeli officials have made multiple attempts to secure the inscription’s return:

• 1998: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested it from Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz. The request was denied.
• 2007: Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski made a similar request to Turkish Ambassador Namık Tan. Again, it was rejected.
• 2022: President Isaac Herzog raised the issue during his visit to Ankara, but no agreement was reached.

Despite these efforts, the inscription remains in Istanbul under legal protection.

A symbol of cultural heritage debates

The Siloam Inscription is more than an archaeological artifact—it sits at the heart of an ongoing global debate: Should cultural treasures remain where they were found, or where they have been safeguarded for centuries?