The Western WallThe Western WallHebrew HA-KOTEL HA-MA'ARAVI, also called WAILING WALL, in the Old City of Jerusalem, a place of prayer and pilgrimage sacred to the Jewish people. It is the only remains of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, held to be uniquely holy by the ancient Jews and destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. The authenticity of the Western Wall has been confirmed by tradition, history, and archaeological research; the wall dates from about the 2nd century BC, though its upper sections were added at a later date.
Because the wall now forms part
of a larger wall that surrounds the Muslim
Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque, Jews and Arabs have long fought over its
control or for the right of access. As it is seen today, the Western Wall measures
about 160 feet (50 m) long and about 60 feet (20 m) high; the wall, however,
extends much deeper into the earth. Jewish devotions there date from the early
Byzantine period and reaffirm the rabbinic belief that "the divine Presence
never departs from the Western Wall." Jews lament the destruction of the Temple
and pray for its restoration. Such terms as Wailing Wall were coined by European
travelers who witnessed the mournful vigils of pious Jews before the relic of
the sacred Temple.
Arab and Jewish sources both confirm
that after the Arab capture of Jerusalem in 638, Jews led the conquerors to
the site of the Holy Rock and Temple yard and helped clear away the debris.
When the State of Israel captured the Old City during the fighting of June 1967,
the Jews once more gained control over the historic site.
Click on the large image above for a live view of the Western Wall.