After Eight Centuries, The World’s Oldest Surviving Pipe Organ Is Played Once Again

JERUSALEM (AP) — After 800 years of silence, a pipe organ that researchers say is the oldest in the Christian world roared back to life Tuesday, its ancient sound echoing through a monastery in Jerusalem’s Old City. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) An 11th-century organ that researchers say is the oldest in the Christian world was played for the first time in 800 years after restoration, is on display in Saint Savior’s Monastery of Jerusalem’s Old City, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. People look at an 11th-century organ that researchers say is the oldest in the Christian world was played for the first time in 800 years after restoration, in Saint Savior’s Monastery of Jerusalem’s Old City, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) People look at an 11th-century organ that researchers say is the oldest in the Christian world was played for the first time in 800 years after restoration, in Saint Savior’s Monastery of Jerusalem’s Old City, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. It was updated on Sep. 22, 2025 to correct that the organ was made by European craftsmen, not Ottoman craftsmen.