The archaeological park under the Church of the Redeemer “Through the Ages” attracted up to 30,000 visitors a year until the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the park was only allowed to open on request. While visitor numbers rose again in 2022 and 2023, the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent Gaza War (2023-2025) caused tourism to collapse again. In addition, no annual volunteers, who were of great importance for the implementation of guided tours, were sent to Israel/Palestine.
Die im Jahr 2015 begonnenen Grabungen am Zionsberg in Jerusalem wurden bis zum Jahr 2026 fortgesetzt. Während der vom DEI im Jahr 2020 durchgeführten Kampagne konnten in Areal I mehrere Stadtmauern nachgewiesen und deren stratigrafische Einordnung grundlegend erforscht werden. Die älteste Mauer dieses Bereiches (hellenistisch) liegt innerhalb des Stadtgebiets nahe der heute gut sichtbaren spätantiken Stadtmauer. Die wenige Jahrzehnte später errichtete hasmonäische Mauer wurde unmittelbar außerhalb derselben entdeckt (Kasemattenmauer). Die frührömische (möglicherweise herodianische) Stadtmauer mit dem sog. „Essenertor“ und einem Turm wurde schließlich durch ein freistehendes Tor unter Hadrian und mit einer spätantiken Stadtmauer (Mauer, Tor und Turm) überbaut. Damit besaß das südöstliche Stadttor drei Strata. Im Areal I und ebenso in allen anderen Arealen der Grabung des DEI konnte keine alttestamentliche Mauer nachgewiesen werden. Nicht einmal Haus- oder Terassierungsmauern der Eisenzeit (d.h. der alttestamentlichen Zeit) konnten aufgefunden werden. Damit muss eine flächenmäßig geringere Ausdehnung Jerusalems während der Eisenzeit II (Königtum Hiskia) angenommen werden.
In 2021 and 2022, the DEI excavated in the area of the lower (Area IV) and upper monastery garden (Area V) of the Dormition Abbey, primarily late antique residential areas and a late antique road running in a north-south direction. In addition, the DEI excavations not only uncovered part of the magnificent late antique building of the Hagia Sion (Area VIII), but also the medieval wall of the church from the Crusader period. We would like to thank the monks of the Benedictine order for their kind permission for our excavation work. Furthermore, the DEI would like to thank the Wissenschafts-Förderungsgesellschaft Düsseldorf gGmbH for all excavations on the Zionsberg from 2020 onwards.
In 2021, the “German Garden” was established on the eastern side of the Auguste Victoria site on the initiative of the DEI. A generous donation in memory of Rolf Julius Schwarz-Schütte made it possible to redesign the area, which has since become a place of rest and a meeting place for patients, hospital staff and local institutions. In the same year, the DEI converted the “Power Station”, which had been derelict for 100 years, directly next to the institute into a large finds store. This solved a significant part of the space problem in the institute building.
In cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the DEI researched ancient Tiberias from 2022 to 2024. The project was led by Katia Cytryn (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and Katja Soennecken (DEI Jerusalem & LSRS Luxembourg). The aim of the joint research was to further explore the ancient center of Tiberias. Special attention was paid to the religious significance of the city, which is of particular relevance not only for Judaism, but also for Christianity and Islam.
Together with the German school Talitha Kumi in Beit Jala, the DEI launched the project “My home – my history” in 2022. In a three-week project, year 10 pupils are familiarized with the great history and archaeological past of the world in which they live. Beyond politically or religiously charged historical narratives, the program aims to provide students with an exciting, creative and, above all, ideology-free approach to the history of their homeland.
In 2022, Dr. Brita Jansen took over the management of the institute in Amman.
Construction work on the Pilgrim and Science Center on the Mount of Olives began in December 2022. In the immediate vicinity of the Church of the Ascension, work began with the demolition of the old buildings and the excavation of a building pit. In addition to office and conference rooms, the new building will also house the DEI collection. The construction work should be completed by the end of 2027.
The 125th anniversary of the DEI, originally planned for 2023, had to be canceled due to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Im Jahr 2024 fand die von Katja Soennecken organisierte internationale Konferenz „Auf der Suche nach Identität im archäologischen Befund“ an der Luxembourg School of Religion & Society statt. Dabei stand die Frage im Vordergrund, inwieweit auf Basis sog. „kultureller Marker“ – also Häufungen bestimmter Keramikstücke, Architekturformen oder Bestattungssitten – Aussagen über die (ethnische) Zugehörigkeit von Bewohnern antiker Städte getroffen werden können.
In 2025, the Patriarchate of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church granted the DEI an excavation area on the western slope of the Hinnom Valley to investigate the city walls there (Area VII). Walls from the Hellenistic and Late Antique periods were found during the campaign. As again no Iron Age walls were found, this confirms the DEI’s thesis, which was already based on the findings of the excavation of Area 1, that the Old Testament city of the 8th century BC (at the time of King Hezekiah) was smaller than initially assumed. The west of Mount Zion was therefore probably not walled. The DEI would like to thank the Patriarchate and the Wissenschafts-Förderungsgesellschaft Düsseldorf gGmbH for funding the excavation on the site of the Melkite church.
Area I of the excavation on Mount Zion was extensively secured by the DEI in order to prepare for the opening of an archaeological park in the south of Jerusalem. In addition, an access road and a visitor terrace were created by the DEI. In the process, 2/3 of the excavation area was backfilled and the steep slopes were reinforced by Maher Mushasha. From September to October 2025, the remaining area with its city walls, gates and towers was restored by the company Wanja Wedekind.
The restoration of a courtyard house complex into a heritage house in Umm Qēs began in summer 2025. The restoration was carried out using historical craftsmanship methods and thus contributes to cultural preservation in the region.
Am Tall Zirāʿa wurde im Oktober 2025 die 9. Grabungskampagne des DEI (Leitung: Dieter Vieweger) durchgeführt. Das Ziel der Kampagne war es, die artesische Quelle zu erforschen. Die Quelle in der Mitte des Talls schuf über Jahrtausende beste Siedlungsmöglichkeiten, da sie das ganze Jahr über die Wasserversorgung der Siedlung sicherte. Seit 2011 ist der Quellmund ausgetrocknet. Zur völligen Überraschung fehlten im ausgegrabenen Quellteich wie bei den drei Jahre zuvor durchgeführten Bohrungen der Universität Kiel unter Federführung von Stefan Dreibrodt die beiden wichtigsten Besiedlungsphasen – die Bronze- und die Eisenzeit. Es wurden keine durchgehenden Steinmauern zur Auskleidung der Quellwände, wie sie z.B. in Byblos gefunden wurden, entdeckt. Die für die Bronze- und Eisenzeit typischen Trockenmauerkonstruktionen wurden im ausgegrabenen Gebiet nicht identifiziert. Die Datierung der vorliegenden Quellkonstruktionen ist frührömisch. Weitere Untersuchungen stehen noch aus.
From October 5-9, 2026, after several postponements, the anniversary conference for the 125th anniversary of the DEI will take place on the topic of “New Archaeological Research in the Holy Land” together with a festive reception for the guests of the DEI. The conference will be held in Jerusalem and Bethlehem and is intended to look to the future and promote exchange between international archaeologists. DEI Amman will also be celebrating its 60th anniversary on October 12, 2026.