The only surviving part of the Second Temple of Jerusalem and, as such, the most sacred of Jewish sites. Traditionally a place of prayer and lamentation during the dispersion of the Jews, it was formerly often referred to as the Wailing Wall.
Coordinates: 31°46′36″N, 35°14′3″E
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The Western Wall (Hebrew: הכותל המערבי, translit.: HaKotel HaMa'aravi), or simply The Kotel, is a retaining wall in Jerusalem that dates from the time of the Jewish Second Temple (515 BCE - 70 CE). The Western Wall is part of the larger religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem called Har ha-Bayit (the Temple Mount) to Jews and some Christians, or Al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) to Arabs and Muslims.
According to Judaism's religious texts, when the legions of Titus destroyed the Temple, only a part of an outer court-yard "western wall" remained standing.
Eyewitness accounts of Roman actions
According to Josephus,
Now as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because there remained none to be the objects of their fury (for they would not have spared any, had there remained any other work to be done), [Titus] Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and Temple, but should leave as many of the towers standing as were of the greatest eminence;
...the Romans set fire to the extreme parts of the city [the suburbs] and burnt them down, and entirely demolished [Jerusalem's] walls.
When [Titus] entirely demolished the rest of the city, and overthrew its walls, he left [three] towers as a monument of his good fortune, which had proved [the destructive power of] his auxiliaries, and enabled him to take what could not otherwise have been taken by him.
Venerated by the Jews
The Western Wall is holy to the Jewish people because it is thought to be the only remnant of the Temple in Jerusalem and the one wall located closest to the Holy of Holies, the holiest site in Judaism. The Wall has become the holiest site accessible to Jews, since according to Jewish law entry to the Dome of the Rock, site of the Foundation Stone where the Holy of Holies was located during Temple times, together with the rest of the Temple Mount, is now forbidden under the pain of Karet (Divinely ordained death).
Jews have prayed at the Western Wall for hundreds of years, believing that the Divine Presence rests upon it and that the gate of heaven is situated directly above it.
Restricted holy areas
See also: Temple MountAccording to many rabbis, Jews are forbidden to enter certain areas of the Temple Mount according to Jewish law.
During subsequent occupations
During the time that foreign armies occupied the lands of Judea and the Land of Israel, the Western Wall always remained a site venerated by Jews; many trekked from across the world to spend their last years near the walls of Jerusalem, spending much of their time in tearful prayer in front of the Western Wall;
The Wall as viewed by Muslims
The site is also holy to Muslims, who believe Solomon to be a prophet. While there, it is believed he tethered the horse to a wall, which some Muslims believe to be the Western Wall. Hence the Arabic name for the wall is the al-Buraq Wall.
The theory that the Western Wall was used for this tethering is, however, disputed.
The 1929 Hebron massacre broke out partly because the Arabs claimed variously that the Jews were trying to build a synagogue near the wall or take over the site.
Jordanian rule
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the area near the wall was taken over by the Jordanian Arab Legion. Jews were denied access to the wall during the period of Jordanian occupation, in violation of the 1949 Armistice Agreement, and buildings were constructed within a few yards of the wall.
Israel since 1967
Following the victory of the Israel Defense Forces during the 1967 Six-Day War, the Western Wall, together with all of Jerusalem and the West Bank came under Israeli control. The Israelis demolished the medieval Moroccan Quarter in front of the Western Wall facing away from the Temple Mount, and built a large plaza in its place which is used by tens of thousands of Jews on the Jewish holidays, and is a favorite tourist attraction year round.
Many foreign heads of state who visit Israel, come to the Wall, out of their respect for its significance to Israel and to Jews worldwide.
Since 1967, it has been customary among many Jews throughout the world to hold their Bar Mitzvah services at the Western Wall.
The Western Wall Plaza is the site of the swearing-in ceremonies of newly full-fledged soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces following basic training.
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The Western Wall in April 2006 |
The Western Wall and Israeli Flag |
Bar mitzvah celebration at the Wall (located on the right) |
Men of different backgrounds praying at the Kotel in January of 2005 |
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A swearing-in ceremony for the Israel Defense Forces in late January, 2006 |
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