“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past,” wrote English author George Orwell in his dystopian novel ‘1984’.
In the hands of states, history often becomes a story to ‘justify the now’. A similar exercise is currently underway in Jerusalem, one of the world’s oldest holy cities, claimed equally by Jews, Muslims, and Christians.
Both Palestinians and Israelis contest the holy city’s past to buttress their claim on the city in the present. Meanwhile, Turkey also demands the right to be involved in deciding the city’s future on account of its Ottoman past.
While Jerusalem’s past has always been contested, a 2,800-year-old tablet inscription unearthed from the city nearly one and a half centuries ago is at the centre of a heated debate between Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The inscription, also called the Siloam Inscription, written in old Hebrew, is currently housed in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. Netanyahu wants it back at any cost, Erdogan refuses, saying Turkey will never return it, no matter what price Israel is willing to pay.
Netanyahu-Erdogan Fight Over The Inscription
Earlier this week, Netanyahu revealed that his government tried to acquire the ancient Siloam inscription back from Turkey in 1998.
Speaking at the City of David, a biblical tourism site, Netanyahu recounted how he hosted then-Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz in 1998 and asked him to return the Siloam Inscription.
Netanyahu said he proposed to Yilmaz that he could give any Ottoman artefact from the Israeli museum in return for the inscription. When the Turkish prime minister refused, he proposed to give out all Ottoman artefacts or name a price.
“And he said, ‘Prime Minister Netanyahu, there is no price’. And I said, ‘why?’ He said, ‘Well, there is a growing Islamist constituency headed by the then mayor of Istanbul’,” Netanyahu quoted Yilmaz saying.
“‘You know his name. And there would be outrage from this section of the Turkish people that we would give Israel a tablet that would show that Jerusalem was a Jewish city 2,700 years ago.”
Notably, the current Turkish President, Erdogan, was serving as the Mayor of Istanbul in 1998.
Netanyahu claims Jerusalem (Al-Quds) belongs to 🇮🇱; wants the Siloam inscription (oldest record of old-Hebrew/regional Phoenician) kept in 🇹🇷
Canaanites and Egyptians lived there before the Israelites. Palestinian DNA traces back to the Canaanites: ~85%
pic.twitter.com/Lt9cYKqpA2— Ismailoğlu Paşa (@IsmailogluPasha) September 18, 2025
Netanyahu then addressed Erdogan directly.
“While we’re here, this is our city, Mr Erdogan. It’s not your city. It’s our city. It will always be our city. It will not be divided again,” Netanyahu said, indirectly expressing his opposition to a two-state solution as suggested by Erdogan recently.
Erdogan replied to Netanyahu by reminding him that Turkey “carried the banner of Islam for centuries” and “had the honor of serving the holy Jerusalem for four hundred years”.
“Netanyahu does not know this. Today, I shout it from here, maybe then he will learn. With wisdom and tolerance, we made this city a land of peace and tranquility.”
“Perhaps they will never forget the stance we took 27 years ago when I was at the Istanbul metropolitan municipality. Let them go on having their fits of rage,” he said.
Apparently, this was not the first or the last attempt by Israel to get the inscription.
In 2007, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski requested the inscription from Turkey’s Ambassador to Israel, Namık Tan. The request was rejected. Again, in 2022, the inscription was brought up during a visit to Turkey by Israeli President Herzog.
So, why are Netanyahu and Erdogan sparring over a 2,800-year-old inscription? What is its significance, and how can this tablet support the Jewish claim over the holy city of Jerusalem?
The Siloam inscription dates back to the eighth century BCE and was discovered by two children in 1880, a few meters from the southern exit of the tunnel known as “Hezekiah’s Tunnel” in Old Jerusalem city.
Since at that time Jerusalem was ruled by the Ottomans, the inscription was sent shortly after to Istanbul’s Imperial Museum, today the Istanbul Archaeology Museum, where it has remained since 1883.
A replica of this tablet is on display in Jerusalem as well.
The inscription records the construction of the tunnel, which has been dated to the 8th century BC based on the writing style. It is among the oldest extant records of its kind, written in Hebrew.
The water tunnel was built during the reign of King Hezekiah in the eighth century BC.
The inscription is significant in two ways:
One, it provides literary and archeological evidence of the presence of Jews in the City of Jerusalem around 2,800 years ago.
Furthermore, the content of the inscription proves that the impressive plant, carried (just as the Bible describes), water “to the west of the City of David” (2nd Book of Chronicles, 32:30).
Since the Bible clearly states that the water flowed “to the west of the City of David,” it suggests that the eastern hill is indeed the City of David – the ancient nucleus of Jerusalem.
Incidentally, the inscription was discovered in 1880 when the Zionist movement was becoming a potent force.
Its discovery fueled Zionist narratives, providing archeological evidence of Jewish historical presence in Jerusalem at a time when European Jews were beginning to return to Israel, their “holy land,” under the influence of the Zionist movement.
Even in present times, the inscription proves, at least from an Israeli perspective, their right to the city of Jerusalem.
However, many Muslim historians disagree.
Speaking to Turkish media outlet daily Hürriyet, renowned Turkish historian İlber Ortaylı argued that Israel’s attempts to frame the inscription as proof of sovereignty are historically meaningless.
“No country hands over such inscriptions. What legal ground could this provide? If that logic applied, Romans could reclaim lands they ruled two thousand years ago,” he said.
Religion historian İsmail Taşpınar also questioned the validity of Netanyahu’s claim.
“Archaeological findings have long been tied to scripture as part of a bid to construct history for Israel,” he said.
He added that the dating and purpose of the inscription remain debated among specialists, and therefore, it cannot be treated as conclusive evidence of anything.
Similarly, International law professor Enver Bozkurt emphasized that past presence does not translate into permanent rights.
“A civilization’s existence in a place for a certain period does not make it theirs forever under international law,” he told daily Hürriyet, underscoring that the inscription does not provide legal legitimacy for Israel’s sovereignty claims.
Yahya Coşkun, former deputy head of Türkiye’s museums authority, recalled that Israeli officials once approached him directly about the artifact.
“I showed them the record, dated 1883, proving it was registered in Istanbul during Ottoman rule, long before Israel even existed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the UK-based Middle East Eye (MEE) reported that following Netanyahu’s controversial comments, the authorities in Turkey have moved the inscription to a safe location, and the inscription, so critical to Jewish history, might never be displayed publicly ever again.
Apparently, the Turkish authorities are concerned that Israel might try to seize the inscription through illegal means.
“The inscription had been on display but was moved to storage after the section housing it closed for renovation. An expert familiar with the matter told MEE that the artefact is unlikely to return to exhibition any time soon, as authorities are concerned that the Israeli government might attempt to seize it through unlawful means.”
For now, Turkey has made it clear that the inscription will never be returned to Israel. However, lacking the physical tablet inscription does not mean that Israel’s connection with Jerusalem should be questioned.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
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- He can be reached at ahlawat.sumit85 (at) gmail.com
