BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Lovers’ Pipe Discovered in Jerusalem

Bible and archaeology news

An Ottoman-era clay pipe inscribed in Arabic with the phrase “Love is the language for lovers” was discovered last week in ongoing archaeological excavations in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter. The pipe, which would have been used sometime between the 16th and 19th centuries when Jerusalem was part of the Ottoman empire, was most probably a gift exchanged between two lovers. According to excavation director Shahar Puni of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), both men and women regularly used such pipes to smoke tobacco and even hashish. “The Ottoman authorities tried to combat this practice but failed when it became clear that smoking was firmly entrenched in all levels of society,” said Puni in an IAA statement. “Pipes were also used as a piece of jewelry that be worn on a garment.”

An Ottoman-era clay pipe inscribed in Arabic with the phrase “Love is the language for lovers” was discovered last week in ongoing archaeological excavations in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter.