During December 2011, a salvage excavation was conducted on Salman Muzafi Street in the Ramat Sharett neighborhood of Jerusalem (Permit No. A-6372; map ref. 217790–802/629785–788; Fig. 1), prior to construction. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and underwritten by the architect Yigal Levi, was directed by L. Oz (field photography), with the assistance of N. Nehama (administration), A. Hajian and M. Kunin (surveying), D. Levi (GPS), and B. Antin (drafting).
Three excavation areas (A–C; c. 40 sq m; Fig. 2) were opened on a hillside descending to the east, and remains of a rock-hewn installation, meager walls, a rock-hewn channel and rock-cuttings were exposed. A natural cave was documented north of the excavation areas. The region was evidently used for agricultural.
Area A. A square installation (L100; c. 2.0×2.4 m, max. depth 1.8 m; Fig. 3) with three vertical bedrock sides was exposed. The western side (width 2 m, depth 1.8 m) was the widest and most meticulously hewn of the installation’s sides and three rows of small triangular niches (0.10–0.17×0.30–0.70 m, depth 0.1 m) were carelessly cut in it. Two narrow channels emptied into a triangular depression (width 0.8 m) hewn at the top of the western side. The depression might have served as a gutter. A notch (0.30×0.40×0.55 m) was hewn below this depression at the bottom of the installation. Meager remains of two walls (W10, W11; Fig. 4) built of different size fieldstones were exposed to the west, next to the top of the installation.
Area B. A rock-hewn channel, aligned northwest-southeast (L200; length c. 4.6 m, width 0.20–0.35 m, depth 0.1–0.6 m; Fig. 5) and flanked on both sides by a rock-hewn surface (L201; c. 2.5×5.0 m), was exposed.
Area C. A rectangular rock-cutting (L300; 0.45×0.75 m, depth 0.15–0.25 m: Fig. 6) was exposed.