Cardo Maximus - open-air museum, a remarkable monument of the Byzantine era, which allows to understand the scope and power of pushed into oblivion civilization. It is dedicated to the main street of the Roman city of Aelia Capitolina, built in the II century on the ruins of Jerusalem.

The Romans totally destroyed Jerusalem twice during the First Jewish War in 70, and after the bloody revolt of Bar Kochba's 132-135, when the Jews were in fact expelled from Palestine.

Enraged persistence that showed Jews rebels, Emperor Hadrian ordered to build on the ruins of Jerusalem, a Roman colony. They called it Aelia Capitolina, combining two words: Elius - one of the names of the emperor, Capitolina - the name of a hill in Rome, where the Capitol, the temple of Jupiter. In the new city the Romans built a pagan shrine as: Jupiter - the Temple Mount, Venus - where now stands the Holy Sepulcher.

Aelia Capitolina was built on the model of Rome project. Main Street, coming from the north to the south, was called, as in all Roman cities, Cardo Maximus (the main highway "East - West" was called Cardo Decumanus). Cardo Maximus was the main center of economic and social life: here the townspeople traded, exchanged news, met.

In 1894, in the Orthodox St. George Church in Madaba (Jordan) was found mosaic map of the Holy Land, created by Byzantine craftsmen in the VI century. The map clearly visible plan of Jerusalem, had already regained its former name: it crosses a long straight street, where recognizable Cardo Maximus.

The very backbone of the reign of Emperor Justinian (first half of the VI century) was found in 1975, when it started the project of the Jewish Quarter. Archaeologists have unearthed in the middle of the block section of the street 150 meters long. Well it is clear the device: Cardo Maximus is paved with large stone slabs, carriageway has a width of 12 meters, convenient sidewalks framed by a continuous chain of shops. From the sun and rain protected roofs benches, rests on two beautiful, full-length street, Corinthian colonnade. The total width of streets with sidewalks and shops - 22, 5 meters, which is roughly equivalent to the modern six-row highway. Rains are not flooded highway: Roman engineers have provided excellent drainage.

Unearthed site Cardo Maximus is located a few meters below the modern streets of the Jewish Quarter, here down the stairs. Columns along the street - the original, preserved from the Byzantine era, as well as part of the slabs. No less interesting and archaeologists uncovered more ancient cultural layers under Cardo Maximus. The steep stairs you can go down to a depth of several tens of meters. There are ruins from the early Roman period and the era of the Hasmoneans (I-II century BC. E.), To the era of the First Temple (VIII century BC. E.). They can be seen through the glass hatches in a modern shopping mall, which stretches along the traditionally present Cardo.