About Western Wall

The Western Wall (also known as the Kotel) is the sole remaining part of the retaining wall surrounding the Temple Mount, the site of the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem. It is the holiest of Jewish sites, always surrounded by worshippers, many of whom place papers with wishes or prayers into its cracks.

History of the Western Wall

Herod the Great built the retaining walls when he expanded the Second Temple. When the Romans destroyed the Temple, only the Western Wall was not destroyed. For hundreds of years, Jews prayed here because the Shechinah (Divine Presence) never departs. Between 1948 and 1967, the Old City of Jerusalem was under Jordanian control and Jews were banned from visiting the Western Wall. Soon after the end of the 1967 Six Day War, masses flocked to the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall.

Measurements of the Western Wall

The Western Wall stretches about 500m but today, the part visible to all at the Western Wall Plaza is about 70m of it. The wall comprises 45 layers of stones, of which 17 layers are still underground. The wall is made of quarried stone of massive size from different time periods.

Western Wall Tunnel Tour

The tour allows visitors to walk through this original site, to touch the original stones and to reach the segments of the Western Wall hidden from view.