Description

The Western Wall, or “Wailing Wall”, is the holiest site in the world for the Jewish people-after the Temple Mount. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, it comprises the remains of the western support wall of the Temple Mount built by King Herod some 2,000 years ago. Thousands of people visit the wall every year to recite prayers and write messages to the Lord which are placed in the cracks of the wall. Adjacent to the public prayer plaza is the modern tunnel where the stone courses of the Western Wall that had been buried under an 8-meter layer of earth were recently uncovered in excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority. These courses, completely preserved, are built of massive blocks and are outstanding in the quality of their construction. Additional exciting discoveries of chambers and other structures from the Second Temple period are still being made and opened to the public.