The Western wall is a remnant of Herod’s grand temple, and is the holiest site for Jews. It attracts thousands of Jewish worshippers daily, who come to pray and seek for heavenly guidance. They feel the presence of God’s spirit, who according to their belief resides for thousands of years in the holy temple. The Western wall is located on the western side of the Temple Mount, in the heart of old Jerusalem. It is approached from the Jewish quarter, and the closest gate is Haashpoth (Dung) gate. The area is divided to 4 sections: a large open zone on the western side, a small section for women on the south side of the wall (there is segregation due to religious requirements), a larger section of the wall in the center for men, and a covered place in the northern side.
The walls are 20M high above the ground, with 25 layers of stones. The larger stones are in the lower layers. Another 7M (15 layers) are buried under the ground, and some of the buried earlier layers may be from the first temple. Herod the Great, King of Israel under the Romans (37BC – 4BC), enlarged and rebuilt the second temple, and made it a magnificent temple. After the total destruction of the temple in 70 AD, following the Jewish revolt against the Romans, only a few layers of the grand temple were left, and the Jews were not allowed to rebuild their temple. In 1967, after the 6 day war, the prayers and tears of 2,000 years were answered: the holy site returned back again to Jewish control, and was opened to the public.
