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Writer's pictureAndy McIlvain

Western Wall Tunnels (Wailing Wall), Jerusalem - A Journey through Time to the Depths of the History



"The Western Wall of the Temple Mount (also known as the “Jerusalem Wall”) is one of the most magnificent and significant remnants in Jerusalem from the days of the Second Temple, destroyed approximately 2,000 years ago. The Western Wall stretches along almost half a kilometer, but today, the part visible to all at the Western Wall Plaza is a mere 70 meters of it. The tour of the Western Wall Tunnels allows visitors to reach the segments of the Wall hidden from view, and to touch the original and special stones that tell the story of the Jewish nation. Visitors to the Western Wall Tunnels walk through ancient and fascinating subterranean spaces with exquisite archeological findings, such as large stone arches, water pits, an ancient water aqueduct that ends at the Strouthion Pool, and more. The Western Wall (the Kotel in Hebrew) is impressive, but its greatness is truly discovered when you descend underground to the Western Wall Tunnels. The tunnels run along approximately 488 meters of the Western Wall, giving visitors a taste for the challenge that stood before Herod the Great during this biggest of all his immense building projects—the expansion of the Temple Mount. One such example is the famous western stone which is 14 meters long and weighs almost 570 tons. These complex underground tunnels create a direct link between the history of the Hasmonean period and modern times. The tunnels are supported by many arches and contain stairways that connected the ancient city with the Temple Mount, over the Tyropoeon Valley that ran along the western side of the Temple Mount, separating the two. Today these passageways support streets and homes in the Muslim Quarter. The tunnels were first discovered during digs done by British archaeologists in the 19th century, but the real digging was done after the Six Day War, after 1967, by the Israeli Ministry of Religions. One of the most special places to visit inside the tunnels is the part of the Western Wall traditionally considered closest to where the Holy of Holies used to be on the Temple Mount. The Holy of Holies, where the Foundation Stone and the Dome of the Rock are located, is the holiest place for Jews. In this location in the tunnels, there is a small synagogue where Jews come to pray." from video introduction.

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