Josh Gates Searches For The Lost Ark Of The Covenant In Jerusalem | Expedition Unknown

The Ark of the Covenant. It is the single most  iconic archaeological relic in history. An object of astounding religious significance and  according to legend, unimaginable power. In the Old Testament, Moses returns from the top of Mount  Si with stone tablets delivered from God himself.
On them are inscribed ten commandments,  an eternal covenant between man and the almighty. These are kept in a sacred  gold covered chest known as the ark.
It is said to wield the terrifying  power to consume its enemies with a wall of fire [music] and reduce mountains  to dust. The Israelites carry the ark to Jerusalem [music] where it vanishes from history,  and mankind has been looking for it ever since.
Thanks to everyone’s favorite whip-cracking  [music] archaeologist and my cinematic hero, the ark is synonymous with adventure.  But I won’t be fighting Nazis to find it.
New excavations beneath the holy city of  Jerusalem are revealing secret passages which may lead [music] to the ark’s last location.  And there are those that swear that the ark left the Middle East entirely [music] and shocking new  evidence that may rewrite biblical history. It’s my turn to take on Indy’s quest as I join a new  generation of raiders going after the lost ark.
I meet Scott at the Tower of David amidst the  ruins of a massive citadel that once guarded the old city. Scott. Hey Josh, how are you? I’m good  man. Nice to meet you. So I know there’s a lot of people who believe that the ark was hidden  under the temple mount. Do you think that’s a possibility? Well, I think it is because the last  place we know that it was was here in Jerusalem.
So is a legitimate thing to explore. But since the  19th century because of the political tensions and the religious tensions, there’s been such  little exploration that’s been done. So, what brings you to the old city today  then? Well, I’ve been invited by some colleagues to check out an opening into the  ground, and it seems like there’s a a passage that is connecting to the Temple Mount area.  Wow. This is a literal hole in the ground, right? Has anyone gone down and surveyed this?  Not in modern times. It’s not documented. It’s not published. It’s never been filmed. And that’s  what we’re hoping to do today. Scott invites me to join him as he prepares to explore this mysterious  hole in the ground. Hey, I’m Josh. Nice to meet you. You look like a guy who’s ready to explore  something. Where is this? Where is this open?
You’ll be surprised. Yes, I will be surprised.  [laughter] Okay, let’s see what happens. The shaft was concealed beneath ancient stonework. And  because no one has been down there for hundreds of years or more, we can’t be sure the air is  safe or that there is any air for that matter.
We send down a meter to test how much oxygen  there is for us to breathe. We don’t have any poisoned gas. Just the hair. It’s a bit thin.  a bit thin. It’s right on the line. It will be more thinner because we are more beaten down.  Okay. Once we get the green light to proceed, we tape our cuffs at the wrists and ankles to  keep spiders and scorpions from doing their own excavations. Finally, it’s time to go.  Holy moly. I begin my descent through 3,000 years of history. Here we go. Hoping that at  the [music] bottom lies a pathway that leads directly to the Ark of the Covenant. Okay. How’s  it going down there? Oh, it’s going great. Uh, very old blocks all the way down. Does the stone  change from the top [clears throat] to the bottom?
It looks pretty consistent. The stone on  the top is definitely first century. So, if it’s consistent all the way down, then we know  that this is a first century shaft. Copy that.
Looks like it’s opening up a little bit down  here. All good. Okay, I’m definitely at the bottom lowering. There’s a passage. You’re  kidding me. How wide is it? It’s very narrow, Scott. It’s only about 2 feet across. Coming down.  An extremely [music] cramped passageway leads into the darkness, unexplored for centuries. It means  Scott may be right. And this could [music] connect to a larger tunnel network leading under the  Temple Mount. Pick it up, Scott. I’m in a coffin down here. Okay, I’m on the ground. I wedge into a  small opening so he can lead the way. Right behind you, Scott. All right, here we go. [music] We  start to push forward into the tunnel. It’s pitch black down here, and the air feels thin.  We’re joined by one of Scott’s team members, who’s equipped with supplemental oxygen. Notice  how the roof is changing. These pavers that have been laid in here 2,000 years ago. I’m  positive now that this is a drainage system from the first century. Wow. Any idea how far  back it goes? Well, further than I can see, we’re going in the direction of the Temple  Mount. Okay, let’s see where this thing goes.
And the size of these stones above us is  incredible. Now, oh, they’re massive. Remember, we’re about 40 ft under the modern city of  Jerusalem right now. Some of the stones are holding up better than others. Looks like the  lentil stone actually cracked it. It’s unstable, so don’t touch it. Copy that. As you’re coming  in, stay stay low. Oh, stay down. There you go.
All right, you made it. Things don’t [music] get  any more comfortable as we move in the direction of the temple mount. The further we go, the  tighter the tunnels seem to narrow. Yeah, I’m pretty much hands and knees at this  point. This is incredible. but also incredibly claustrophobic. This is as dangerous a place as  I’ve been in a long time. The ancient tunnel is unstable. The air is barely breathable. And  we’re down here with Jehovah knows what. Oh, spiders. Why did it have to be spiders? But at the  end of it could be the Ark of the Covenant. So, there’s no thought of turning back. Oh my  goodness. What’d you find? You’re not going to believe what we’ve got here. What do you got?  I can’t believe what I’m looking at. The signature of Conrad Shik dated 1863. [laughter] Look at  that. Conrad Shik was a famous 19th century archaeologist, one of the few to explore under the  Temple Mount before it became too volatile to dig.
You can see clearly here. Seik. Now, the date’s a  little rubbed out, but if we look back here, his companion has dated it 1863. That is outrageous.  Can you believe that this man had the presence of mine 150 years ago to graffiti [laughter] the  wall to actually tag the wall so that we could find it and show it to the world? Oh man, I knew I  should have brought my can of spray paint. You’re looking [music] at history right now. This is a  real confirmation that this is one of the tunnels that he discovered and surveyed. Well, it’s  positive proof. I mean, as an archaeologist, we dream about having inscriptions for evidence. So,  you couldn’t [music] get any more clear than this.
This is awesome. [laughter] This is so awesome.  All right, man. Nice work, buddy. Excellent. Okay, let’s see where this tunnel goes. All right. Could  his signature mean that these tunnels connect to those in the temple? We have to push on even as  the walls close in on us until there’s no further for us to go. Josh, we’ve come to collapse.  Blocked off. It’s blocked off. [music] Looks like the tunnel actually does keep going, but  another shaft has collapsed in. Anywhere to sneak a camera through there. I don’t see any way  to [music] get a camera through. Looks unstable.
In the future, maybe we’ll be able to raise the  money and come back and actually excavate this tunnel and see if it goes the rest of the way  toward the Temple Mount. But for today, no ark.
Not today, my friend. We’re going to have to bring  a team and uh and come back and dig it. Right.
We turn around for the long walk back, but getting  home may be even more dangerous than we imagined.
Hey guys, the air start to be very thin right  now. Okay, we need to go out right now. You okay, Scott? Yeah. I got to carry one of these things  around all the time. Like blue velvet in here, right? Let’s keep moving and keep this thing on  standby in case we need it. With fresh lungs, we make our final push to the exit. Attention.
This we pull you.
Scott will hopefully be back with  an excavation team to push even further down the tunnels to see  how far they extend. But for now, if the ark is beneath the temple mount, it seems  to be intombed both physically and politically.