Background: The Western Wall is part of the retaining wall built by Herod the Great to create the base of the Second Temple in 20BC. The Romans destroyed the Temple in 70AD. According to rabbinical texts, however, the divine presence (shekinah) never left the wall. It is regarded as one of the most holy of all Jewish sites. During the Ottoman period the Wall became a place where Jews came to mourn their loss - hence the term Wailing Wall. In 1948 Jews lost access to the Wall when Jordan took all the Old City. Israel gained control of the Wall nineteen years later during the Six-Day War. The neighbouring Arab quarter was bulldozed to create the large plaza of today. The Wall is, of course, part of the foundation of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque. The Palestinian-Authority-appointed mufti of Jerusalem has recently claimed that the Wall has no religious siginficance at all to anyone but Moslems and should be renamed in accordance with Moslem tradition.Note: Click on thumbnail for larger image.
Western Wall, Jerusalem
Prayer at the Western Wall, Jerusalem
Inside the Arch room at the north of the Western Wall, Jerusalem
Western Wall Photos
Western Wall, Jerusalem
Prayer at the Western Wall, Jerusalem
Inside the Arch room at the north of the Western Wall, Jerusalem