Vast preparations were made in advance of the holidays of pilgrimage: the roads to the city and its streets were mended and water cisterns and ritual baths (miqva`ot) were cleaned. The pilgrims lived in hostels, inns, in the houses of residents of Jerusalem, or in nearby villages. Some stayed in synagogues (as mentioned in the Theodotos Inscription) or in tents located outside the city walls (Jewish Antiquities, Book 17, Chapter 9, 217). According to Jewish law (halakha), hosts were not paid for lodging the pilgrims, but were presented with the skins of the sacrificed animals.