The wide street was bordered on the west by massive walls and on the east by an arcade. The row of columns which we see at one end of the Cardo carried the weight of the beams of the roofing. This roof made it a cool shady shopping street and even today it protects shoppers from the sun and rain.
Built by the Romans 1800 years ago, this wide street goes from one side of the Old City to the other. This was the main street in Roman and zantine times. Only a short part has been excavated. The rest is buried under the buildings of the city.
The Cardo is a remnant of Aelia Capitolina, the Roman city built over the ruins of Jerusalem following the Jewish rebellions of 70 and 135 CE. This had a grid system built on two broad thoroughfares intersecting at right angles. The north-south axis was the Cardo Maximus. The east-west axis was the Decumanus.
Today there are small shops in its vaulted recesses, with thick stone walls along both sides of the Cardo. Eighteen centuries ago these shops sold spices, olives, grains and many other items.
Originally the Cardo was about 22.5 metres wide but later Old City developers built a row of buildings down its middle making a narrow road on either side - Chabad Street and Hayehudim Street.
One section of the Cardo has been completely restored, together with roof, and another section has been restored in the form of a small shopping centre, interspersed with archaeological discoveries.
The Madaba map was a sixth century mosaic floor map discovered in Madaba, Jordan which depicts the elaborate Cardo. A replica of this mosaic is on display in the Cardo.
The Cardo is situated in the heart of the Old City.
