Coordinates: 31°46′36″N, 35°14′3″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

The Western Wall by night.

The Western Wall (Hebrew: הכותל המערבי, translit.: HaKotel HaMa'aravi), or simply The Kotel, is a Jewish religious site located in the Old City of Jerusalem. The wall itself dates from the Second Temple period, (516 BCE - 70 CE). It is sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall (Arabic: il-Mabka), referring to Jews who come to the site to wail and mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple. Download high resolution version (504x672, 50 KB)Western Wall of Jerusalem More pictures of my travel in Israel at : http://www. ... Download high resolution version (504x672, 50 KB)Western Wall of Jerusalem More pictures of my travel in Israel at : http://www. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... Transliteration is the practice of transcribing a word or text written in one writing system into another writing system. ... The Old City of Jerusalem is an approximately one square kilometer area of the modern day Israeli city of Jerusalem. ... A stone (2. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC - 470s BC - 460s BC 519 BC - Zhou Jing Wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. ... This article is about the year 70. ... BCE redirects here. ... Arabic redirects here. ... The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, transliterated Bet HaMikdash and meaning literally The Holy House) was located on the Temple Mount (Har HaBayit) in the old city of Jerusalem. ...

Location

The Western Wall refers to the revealed section of a longer retaining wall situated on the western flank of the Temple Mount. The Temple in Jerusalem was the most sacred building in Judaism. Herod the Great built vast retaining walls around Mount Moriah, expanding the small, quasi-natural plateau on which the First and Second Temples stood into the wide open spaces of the Temple Mount seen today. The Western Wall is revered for its proximity to the spot which lies on the Temple Mount where the sacred Holy of Holies once stood. It was and is still today considered the Most Holy Place in Judaism. As mainstream Judasim prohibits access to the mount, the Wetsern Wall is the closest location to this spot which is accessible for Jews. There is a small area below ground level, called "The Cave", in the Western Wall Tunnel, that is closest to the site of the Holy of Holies. Structure in the foreground is called a mud box, a type of retaining wall built to hold flood waters in check. ... The Temple Mount as it appears today. ... The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, transliterated Bet HaMikdash and meaning literally The Holy House) was located on the Temple Mount (Har HaBayit) in the old city of Jerusalem. ... Herod the Great. ... This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ... Solomons Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, transliterated Beit HaMikdash), also known as the First Temple, was, according to the Bible, the first Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. ... A Holy of Holies is the most sacred place within a sacred building. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Holy of Holies. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Western Wall Tunnel (Hebrew: מנהרת הכותל, translit. ...

History

Siege of Jerusalem 70CE

According to the Bible, Solomon's Temple was built atop the Temple Mount in the 10th century BCE and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Second Temple was built in 516 BCE. In around 19 BCE Herod the Great began a massive expansion project on the Temple Mount. He artificially expanded the area which resulted in an enlarged platform. Today's Western Wall formed part of the retaining perimeter wall of this platform. Solomons Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, transliterated Beit HaMikdash), also known as the First Temple, was, according to the Bible, the first Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) // Overview Events Partition of ancient Israel into the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel (c. ... Babylonia was a state in southern Mesopotamia, in modern Iraq, combining the territories of Sumer and Akkad. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 620s BC - 610s BC - 600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC Events and Trends 589 BC - Apries succeeds Psammetichus II as king of Egypt 588 BC _ Nebuchadnezzar II of... A stone (2. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC - 470s BC - 460s BC 519 BC - Zhou Jing Wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. ... Herod the Great. ...

The Western Wall in 1870

Herod's Temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire, along with the rest of Jerusalem, in 70 CE during the First Jewish-Roman War. However, the Western Wall was spared. According to Josephus: Download high resolution version (1991x2862, 409 KB)The Western Wall in 1870 File links The following pages link to this file: Western Wall ... Download high resolution version (1991x2862, 409 KB)The Western Wall in 1870 File links The following pages link to this file: Western Wall ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Model of Herods Temple - currently in the Israel Museum View from east to west of the model of Herods Temple Herods Temple in Jerusalem was a massive expansion of the Second Temple along with renovations of the entire Temple Mount. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... This article is about the year 70. ... Combatants Roman Empire Jews of Iudaea Province Commanders Vespasian, Titus Simon Bar-Giora, Yohanan mi-Gush Halav (John of Gischala), Eleazar ben Simon Strength 70,000? 1,100,000? Casualties Unknown 1,100,000? (majority Jewish civilian casualties) Jewish-Roman wars First War – Kitos War – Bar Kokhba revolt The first... A fanciful representation of Flavius Josephus, in an engraving in William Whistons translation of his works Josephus (37 – sometime after 100 CE),[1] who became known, in his capacity as a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus,[2] was a 1st-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and...

"...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, [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; that is, Phasaelus, and Hippicus, and Mariamne; and so much of the wall as enclosed the city on the west side. This wall was spared, in order to afford a camp for such as were to lie in garrison [in the Upper City], as were the towers of feet [the three forts] also spared, in order to demonstrate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified, which the Roman valor had subdued; but for all the rest of the wall [surrounding Jerusalem], it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it [Jerusalem] had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to by the madness of those that were for innovations; a city otherwise of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind".^[1]

Ottoman period 1517 - 1917

In 1517 the Ottoman Empire under Selim I conquered the Land of Israel from the Egyptian Mamelukes who had held it since 1250. The Ottomans had a benevolent attitude towards the Jews, having welcomed thousands of Jewish refugees who had recently been expelled from Spain by Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in 1492. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was so taken with Jerusalem and its plight that he ordered a magnificent fortress-wall built around the entire city, today's Old City wall. Year 1517 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Ottoman redirects here. ... Selim I (Ottoman: سليم الأول, Turkish:) (also known as the Grim or the Brave, Yavuz in Turkish, the long name is Yavuz Sultan Selim)(October 10, 1465 – September 22, 1520) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. ... The Land of Israel (Hebrew: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, Masoretic: ʼẸretz YiÅ›rāēl, Hebrew Academy: Éreẓ Yisrael, Yiddish: ) is the divinely ordained and given territory by God as an eternal inheritance to the Jewish people. ... An Ottoman Mamluk, from 1810 Mamluks (or Mameluks) (the Arabic word usually translates as owned, singular: مملوك plural: مماليك) comprised slave soldiers used by the Muslim Caliphs and the Ottoman Empire, and who on more than one occasion seized power for... // April 30 - King Louis IX of France released by his Egyptian captors after paying a ransom of one million dinars and turning over the city of Damietta. ... ‹ The template below (Expand) is being considered for deletion. ... Ferdinand V of Castile & II of Aragon the Catholic (Spanish: , Catalan: , Aragonese: ; March 10, 1452 – January 23, 1516) was king of Aragon (1479–1516), Castile, Sicily (1468–1516), Naples (1504–1516), Valencia, Sardinia and Navarre and Count of Barcelona. ... Isabella I of Castile (April 22, 1451 – November 26, 1504) was Queen regnant of Castile and Leon. ... Also film, 1492: Conquest of Paradise. ... For other uses, see Sultan (disambiguation). ... Suleiman I (Ottoman Turkish: Sulaymān, Turkish: ; formally Kanuni Sultan Süleyman in Turkish) (November 6, 1494 – September 5/6, 1566), was the tenth and longest‐serving Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, reigning from 1520 to 1566. ... The Old City is a 0. ...

According to popular legend, Suleiman the Magnificent wished to locate the remains of the Temple. He came across a woman who was carrying a basket loaded with rubbish. He asked her where she was from, to which she replied "I live in Bethlehem". He queried why she had travelled all the way to Jerusalem in order to dump her waste. She told him that the tradition was that whoever dumps rubbish in this area performs a good deed. Upon hearing this he ordered that the dirt be removed from the site. When the remains of the Temple and Western Wall were revealed, he proceeded to douse them with rose water.

Over the centuries, land close to the Wall had become built up. Houses in the Moroccan Quarter stood only four meters away from the Wall. Public access to the Wall was through a narrow passage from King David's Street, sometimes leading to tensions between the Jewish visitors, wanting easier access and more space, and the residents, who complained of the noise.^[2] This gave rise to Jewish attempts to gain ownership of the land adjacent to the Wall. The earliest recorded attempt was in the middle of the 19th century. In the 1850s a Jewish sage named Abdullah of Bombay tried unsuccessfully to purchase the Western Wall. In 1887, Baron Rothschild conceived a plan to purchase the Moroccan Quarter, but the plan was ultimately cancelled for unknown reasons. Even the attempts of the Palestine Land Development Company to purchase the environs of the Western Wall for the Jews just before the outbreak of World War I never came to fruition.^[3] The Moroccan Quarter (Arabic حارة المغاربة Harat al-Maghariba) was a neighborhood in the southeast corner of the Old City of Jerusalem, bordering on the western wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the east (including the Western Wall), the Old City walls on the south (including the Dung Gate), the Jewish... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Baron Edmond James de Rothschild (born August 19, 1845 - died November 2, 1934) was a philanthropist and activist for Jewish affairs and a member of the prominent Rothschild family. ... The Moroccan Quarter (Arabic حارة المغاربة Harat al-Maghariba) was a neighborhood in the southeast corner of the Old City of Jerusalem, bordering on the western wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the east (including the Western Wall), the Old City walls on the south (including the Dung Gate), the Jewish...

British rule 1917 - 1948

Jewish Legion soldiers at the Western Wall after taking part in British conquest of Jerusalem, 1917

Following Britain's victories during the Sinai and Palestine Campaigns under Field Marshal Edmund Allenby, the British took control of the land in 1917. Jews were allowed to stand at the wall and pray. 1918. ... 1918. ... The Jewish Legion was the name for five battalions of Jewish volunteers established as the British Armys 38th through 42nd (Service) Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers. ... Combatants United Kingdom Australia New Zealand Ottoman Empire Commanders Sir John Maxwell Archibald Murray Henry George Chauvel Philip Chetwode Charles Dobell Edmund Allenby Djemal Pasha Kress von Kressenstein Jadir Bey Tala Bey Erich von Falkenhayn Otto Liman von Sanders The Sinai and Palestine Campaign during the Middle Eastern Theatre of... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ...

In 1919 Chaim Weizmann approached Ronald Storrs and offered to purchase the area at the foot of the Wall and rehouse the occupants, but he was turned down.^[4] In 1928 the Zionist Organisation reported that John Chancellor believed that the Western Wall should come under Jewish control and wondered “why no great Jewish philanthropist had not bought it yet”.^[5] Chaim Azriel Weizmann (Hebrew: חיים עזריאל ויצמן) November 27, 1874 – November 9, 1952) was a chemist, statesman, President of the World Zionist Organization, first President of Israel (elected February 1, 1949, served 1949 - 1952) and founder of a research institute in Israel that eventually became the Weizmann Institute of Science. ... The World Zionist Organization [WZO] was founded as the Zionist Organization [ZO] on September 3, 1897, at the First Zionist Congress held in Basel, Switzerland. ... Sir John Robert Chancellor (1870–1952) was a British soldier and colonial official. ...

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. In 1930 the British Government appointed a commission "to determine the rights and claims of Moslems and Jews in connection with the Western or Wailing Wall".^[6] The League of Nations approved the commission on condition that the members were not British.^[6]. The commission concluded that the wall, and the adjacent pavement and Mograbi Quarter, were solely owned by the Muslim Waqf. However, Jews had the right to "free access to the Western Wall for the purpose of devotions at all times" subject to some stipulations that limited which objects could be brought to the Wall and forbade the blowing of the Shofar. Muslims were forbidden to disrupt Jewish devotions by driving animals or other means.^[6] The Hebron massacre of 1929 was the murder by Arab rioters of 67 Jews in Hebron, then part of the Palestine under the British mandate. ... A synagogue (from , transliterated synagogē, assembly; beit knesset, house of assembly; or beit tefila, house of prayer, shul; , esnoga) is a Jewish house of worship. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference in 1919–1920. ... This article is about the religious endowment. ... A shofar made from the horn of a kudu, in the Yemenite Jewish style. ...

Jordanian occupation 1948 - 1967

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. Combatants  Israel Haganah Irgun Lehi Palmach Foreign Volunteers Egypt, Syria, Transjordan,  Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Holy War Army, Arab Liberation Army Commanders Yaakov Dori, Yigael Yadin John Bagot Glubb, Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, Hasan Salama, Fawzi Al-Qawuqji, Ahmed Ali al-Mwawi Strength  Israel: 29,677 initially rising... The Arab Legion (al-Jaysh al-ArabÄ«) was Transjordans and later also Jordans regular army. ... Map of the West Bank today Rule of the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Jordan. ... The 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. ...

1967 to present

Prior to 1967, the Western Wall existed little more than as a sliver, measuring approximately 100 feet. While a narrow space was allowed in front for prayers, it was otherwise surrounded by houses, even as it encroached upon the Holy Mount.

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, unveiled in an extension all the way to its southern corner. It was also realized that the retaining walls extended downward nearly as much as they had been exposed above what was considered ground level. The lower courses were larger, better-shaped, and much older. Tens of thousands of Jews flock to the wall on the Jewish holidays, and it remains a favorite tourist attraction year round. Emblem of the IDF The Israel Defense Forces are part of the Israeli Security Forces. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Israel Egypt Syria Jordan Iraq Commanders Yitzhak Rabin, Moshe Dayan, Uzi Narkiss, Israel Tal, Mordechai Hod, Ariel Sharon Abdel Hakim Amer, Abdul Munim Riad, Zaid ibn Shaker, Hafez al-Assad Strength 264,000 (incl. ... The Moroccan Quarter (Arabic حارة المغاربة Harat al-Maghariba) was a neighborhood in the southeast corner of the Old City of Jerusalem, bordering on the western wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the east (including the Western Wall), the Old City walls on the south (including the Dung Gate), the Jewish... A Jewish holiday or Jewish Festival is a day or series of days observed by Jews as holy or secular commemorations of important events in Jewish history. ...

Many foreign heads of state who visit Israel come to the Wall out of their respect for its significance to the Land of Israel and world Jewry. The Western Wall continues to have a powerful hold on the devotion of Jews all over the world. Over the decades, millions have come as tourists and pilgrims to be able to touch the Wall with their hands and feel the sanctity that is said to emanate from it.

Since 1967, it has been customary among many Jews throughout the world to hold their Bar Mitzvah services at the Western Wall. When a Jewish child reaches the age of maturity (12 years and one day for girls, 13 years and one day for boys) that child becomes responsible for him/herself under Jewish law; at this point a boy is said to become Bar Mitzvah (בר מצו&#1493...

It has also become known for its Tefillin booth, where Chabad activists regularly promote the Tefillin Campaign. This is one of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's Mitzvah Campaigns, which calls for all Jewish males to don Tefillin on days other than Shabbat and Yom Tov, in accordance with Jewish law. Tefillin (Hebrew: תפלין), also called phylacteries, are two boxes containing Biblical verses and the leather straps attached to them which are used in traditional Jewish prayer. ... For other uses, see Chabad (disambiguation). ... The Tefillin Campaign refers to a campaign by Orthodox Jews to influence all male Jews, regardless of their level of religious observance, to don the Tefillin (phylacteries) daily. ... Rabbi M.M. Schneerson The third Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch dynasty was also named Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (with a h) Menachem Mendel Schneerson (April 18, 1902-June 12, 1994) was an Orthodox Judaism rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch branch of... Mitzvah Campaigns, or Mitvtzoim (Heb. ... For other uses, see Sabbath. ... Jewish holiday, (or Yom Tom or chag or taanit in Hebrew) is a day that is holy to the Jewish people according to Judaism and is usually derived from the Hebrew Bible, specifically the Torah, and in some cases established by the rabbis in later eras. ... Halakha (הלכה in Hebrew or Halakhah, Halacha, Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish law, custom and tradition regulating all aspects of behavior. ...

Since 1989 Women Of The Wall have been conducting a court battle to secure the right of women to pray at The Wall wearing a tallit praying out loud and reading from the Torah. The Kotel, the western wall of the Second Temple. ... The tallit (Modern Hebrew: ) or tallet(h) (Sephardi Hebrew: ), also called talles (Yiddish), is a prayer shawl cloak that is worn during the morning Jewish services (the Shacharit prayers) in Judaism, during the Torah service, and on Yom Kippur. ... Template:Jews and Jewdaism Template:The Holy Book Named TorRah The Torah () is the most valuable Holy Doctrine within Judaism,(and for muslims) revered as the first relenting Word of Ulllah, traditionally thought to have been revealed to Blessed Moosah, An Apostle of Ulllah. ...

After the Six Day War, Rabbi Shlomo Goren famously sounded the shofar at the site. The 1967 Arab-Israeli War, also known as the Six-Day War or June War, was fought between Israel and its Arab neighbors Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. ... Shlomo Goren (1917-1994), was a former Orthodox Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. ... A shofar made from the horn of a kudu, in the Yemenite Jewish style. ...

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. Emblem of the IDF The Israel Defense Forces are part of the Israeli Security Forces. ...

On February 16, 2004, a portion of a stone retaining wall that forms one side of the Western Wall Plaza and supports the ramp that leads from the Western Wall plaza to the Gate of the Moors and onto the Temple Mount collapsed. ^[7] In February 2007 repair work on the ramp led to violent demonstrations.^[8] is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Temple Mount located in Jerusalem can be accessed through eleven gates, and contains a further six sealed gates. ...

The Wall in Judaism

Jews praying by the Western Wall

Slips of paper with prayers on them in the cracks of the Wall.

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. Jewish texts teach that Titus left it as a bitter reminder to the Jews that Rome had vanquished Judea. The Jews, however, attributed it to a promise made by God that some part of the holy Temple would be left standing as a sign of God's unbroken bond with the Jewish people in spite of the catastrophes which had befallen them. Image File history File links WesternWall23. ... Image File history File links WesternWall23. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 457 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1560 × 2048 pixel, file size: 918 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 457 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1560 × 2048 pixel, file size: 918 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... For other uses, see Titus (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... Map of the southern Levant, c. ... At the bottom of the hands, the two letters on each hand combine to form יהוה (YHVH), the name of God. ...

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; non-Jewish observers watching the Jews cry there (mourning the destruction of the Temple) gave the site its popular nickname, the Wailing Wall. Map of the southern Levant, c. ... EXAMPLE:Laughbox,Blondie,BamBam,Pinkie,etc. ...

The Western Wall is holy to the Jewish people because, of the remaining walls of Temple Mount, it is 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 hastened death). Kodesh Hakodashim, in Hebrew: (Biblical: קֹדֶשׁ הַקָּדָשִׁים ), Holy of Holies, the Most Holy Place in traditional Judaism, is the inner sanctuary within the Tabernacle and Temple in Jerusalem when Solomons Temple and the Second Temple were standing. ... Halakha (הלכה in Hebrew or Halakhah, Halacha, Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish law, custom and tradition regulating all aspects of behavior. ... The Dome of the Rock in the center of the Temple Mount, or Mount Moriah The Dome of the Rock (Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة, translit. ... the Stone - south is towards the top of the image For the foundation-stone of a building, see Cornerstone. ...

Jews have prayed at the Western Wall for hundreds of years, believing that the Divine Presence (Shekhinah) rests upon it and that the gate of heaven is situated directly above it. The tradition of placing a prayer written on a small piece of paper into a crack in the Wall goes back hundreds of years. Shekhinah (- alternative transliterations Shekinah, Shechinah, Shekina, Shechina, Schechinah, שכינה) is the English spelling of a feminine Hebrew language word that means the dwelling or settling, and is used to denote the dwelling or settling presence of God, especially in the Temple in Jerusalem. ...

Included in the thrice daily Jewish prayers are fervent pleas that God return the Jewish exiles to the Land of Israel, rebuild the Temple (i.e., build the Third Temple), and bring the messianic era with the arrival of the Jewish Messiah. Jewish services (Hebrew: תפלה, tefillah ; plural תפלות, tefillot ; Yinglish: davening) are the prayer recitations which form part of the observance of Judaism. ... The Land of Israel (Hebrew: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, Masoretic: ʼẸretz YiÅ›rāēl, Hebrew Academy: Éreẓ Yisrael, Yiddish: ) is the divinely ordained and given territory by God as an eternal inheritance to the Jewish people. ... A drawing of Ezekiels Visionary Temple from the Book of Ezekiel 40-47 Since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, religious Jews have prayed that God will allow for the rebuilding of a Third Temple. ... In Judaism and Jewish eschatology, the Messiah (Hebrew: משיח; Mashiah, Mashiach, or Moshiach, anointed [one]) is a term traditionally referring to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be anointed (the meaning of the Hebrew word משיח) with holy anointing oil and inducted to rule the Jewish people during...

According to many rabbis, Jews are forbidden to enter certain areas of the Temple Mount according to Jewish law. These areas are defined differently by different rabbinic authorities. Nonetheless, almost all agree that the entrance into the area occupied by the Dome of The Rock is forbidden. That same area was once occupied by the Temple, which was a biblically designated holy place. Rabbinic literature, in the broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of Judaisms rabbinic writing/s throughout history. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה ; alternate transliterations include Halocho and Halacha), is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions. ...

The rock beneath the Dome of The Rock is considered by some rabbinic midrashic texts to be the foundation from which God created the universe. According to some rabbinic works, this rock was where the Biblical patriarch Isaac was bound by Abraham during his near-sacrifice in the binding of Isaac. This area was held to be where the patriarch Jacob slept and dreamt of a ladder going up to heaven with angels going up and down. ^[9] This spot is identified with the Holy Of Holies. the Stone - south is towards the top of the image For the foundation-stone of a building, see Cornerstone. ... Midrash (Hebrew: מדרש; plural midrashim) is a Hebrew word referring to a method of exegesis of a Biblical text. ... This article is about the biblical text. ... Sacrifice of Isaac, a detail from the sarcophagus of the Roman consul Junius Bassus, ca. ... For other uses, see Abraham (name) and Abram (disambiguation). ... Abraham Sacrificing Isaac by Laurent de LaHire, 1650 Akedah or the Binding of Isaac (‎, Akedát Yitzhák) in Genesis 22, is narration from the Hebrew Bible, in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah. ... This article is about Jacob in the Hebrew Bible. ... Jacobs Pillow-Pillar Stone refers to an episode in the Book of Genesis 28:10-18 [1] when the Hebrew patriarch Jacob was running from home after getting the blessing of the first born from his father Isaac (and which his brother Esau also wanted), he came to a...

During the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah, only certain people, such as the priests, were permitted into the Temple's grounds. The Temple complex consisted of distinct areas, each with its own level of holiness. The most holy area, the Holy Of Holies (Kodesh Hakodashim), the central part of the Temple, was entered only once a year on Yom Kippur and only by the High Priest, the Kohen Gadol. He was tethered by a rope, because it was believed that others entering the Holy of Holies would be put to death by God for not being pure enough to enter. The rope made it possible to remove the body of the Kohen Gadol from the holiest part of the temple if he was not ritually clean enough to enter and was put to death. 10th century BCE: The Land of Israel, including the United Kingdom of Israel Commonwealth of Israel redirects here. ... Kingdom of Judah (Hebrew מַלְכוּת יְהוּדָה, Standard Hebrew Malḫut Yəhuda, Tiberian Hebrew Malḵûṯ Yəhûḏāh) in the times of the Hebrew Bible, was the nation formed from the territories of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin after the Kingdom of Israel was divided, and was named after Judah... Cohen (disambiguation) Position of the kohens hands and fingers during the Priestly Blessing A kohen (or cohen, Hebrew כּהן, priest, pl. ... Yom Kippur (Hebrew:יוֹם כִּפּוּר ) is a Jewish holiday, known in English as the Day of Atonement. ... Even in death, many Kohanim choose to have this symbol, the special positioning of their fingers and hands during the Priestly Blessing, placed as a crest or symbol on their gravestones to indicate their status. ...

Other courts were accessible only to members of the priestly family, the Kohanim. Other areas farther out were accessible to the Levi'im. Still farther out were courts accessible to male Jews, then all Jews, and the outermost courts, accessible to non-Jews. Cohen (disambiguation) Position of the kohens hands and fingers during the Priestly Blessing A kohen (or cohen, Hebrew כּהן, priest, pl. ... In the Jewish tradition, a Levite (לֵוִי Attached, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew ) is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. ...

At any hour, Jewish men and women can be found praying at the wall, which is actually a large outdoor synagogue. As is traditional in Jewish synagogues, there are a number of holy arks containing Torah scrolls, tables for reading of the law and a mechitza, or divider, separating the men's and women's sections of the wall. Bar mitzvah celebrations are frequently held here, and people of various ages travel from all over the world to have their ceremonies at the Kotel. It is also a tradition to deposit slips of paper with wishes or prayers on them in the crevices and crannies of the wall. Looking closely, one can see hundreds of tiny, folded papers stuffed inside every space that will hold them. A synagogue (from , transliterated synagogÄ“, assembly; beit knesset, house of assembly; or beit tefila, house of prayer, shul; , esnoga) is a Jewish house of worship. ... A mechitza (מחיצה--means partition, from the Hebrew word divide) is a physical divider placed between the mens and womens sections in Orthodox synagogues and at celebrations. ... When a Jewish child reaches the age of maturity (12 years and one day for girls, 13 years and one day for boys) that child becomes responsible for him/herself under Jewish law; at this point a boy is said to become Bar Mitzvah (בר מצו&#1493...

Though the site has been venerated by Jews for several hundred years, the Western Wall, apart from the temple, was not itself significant to ancient Jews. However, due to the long absence of the temple, the Wall remains the most visible connection to the temple, and its significance has grown over time, accordingly.

The Wall in Islam

The site is also holy to Muslims, who believe Solomon to be a Holy Prophet of God. Muslims also believe that Mohammed made a spiritual journey to "the farthest mosque," which they hold to be Jerusalem, in 632 CE on a winged creature from God named al-Buraq, a journey which is referred to as Isra and Mi'raj. While there, it is believed he tethered the horse to a wall, which some Muslims^{[citation needed]} believe to be the Western Wall. Hence the Arabic name for the wall is the al-Buraq Wall. To commemorate the same belief, in 687 CE Muslims built the Dome of the Rock and the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque ("the farthest mosque") on the Temple Mount, encompassed by the wall. That the Western Wall was used for this tethering is, however, disputed. The eponymous Al-Aqsa Mosque is adjacent to the south wall, and Islamic scholars in the 11th and 17th centuries thought the tethering occurred there. Allah is the Arabic language word for God. ... Buraq, mistakenly described as Mohammeds horse, was a creature described as being part griffin, eagle and horse. ... A 16th century Persian miniature painting celebrating Muhammads ascent into the Heavens, a journey known as the Miraj. ... Arabic redirects here. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... For other uses, see Al-aqsa (disambiguation). ...

Historically, el-Mabka, meaning "place of wailing," was the Arabic term for the wall. The designation "Wailing Wall" which found its way into many European languages stems from this name.

The scholar Shmuel Berkowitz suggests that Muslim attribution of holiness to the Western Wall began only in the last 100 years. The official guides published by Waqf in 1914, 1965 and 1990, do not attribute holiness to the wall and the entry "al-Buraq" in the Encyclopedia of Islam does not make the connection either. ^[10] This article is about the religious endowment. ... The Encyclopedia of Islam (EI) is a scholarly encyclopedia covering all aspects of Islamic civilization and history. ...

Image gallery

The Western Wall in April 2006 Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1696 KB) Summary (User:bnwwf91) I took this picture in Jerusalem in April 2006 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ...	The Western Wall and Israeli Flag Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1184x864, 307 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Western Wall Flag of Israel Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or...	Bar mitzvah celebration at the Wall (located on the right) Download high resolution version (4235x2613, 994 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... When a Jewish child reaches the age of maturity (12 years and one day for girls, 13 years and one day for boys) that child becomes responsible for him/herself under Jewish law; at this point a boy is said to become Bar Mitzvah (בר מצו&#1493...	Men of different backgrounds praying at the Kotel in January of 2005 Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (453x604, 76 KB) I took this picture in January 2005 strafing the mens side of the Western Wall (facing north) in Jersalem, Israel. ...
A swearing-in ceremony for the Israel Defense Forces in late January, 2006 Image File history File links Kotelidfswearin. ... Emblem of the IDF The Israel Defense Forces are part of the Israeli Security Forces. ...	The Western Wall Plaza from above Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 513 KB) Western Wall Plaza from above. ...	Early 1900s. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...	Praying at the Western Wall 1900. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 793 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (961 × 727 pixels, file size: 742 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This image is in the public domain because the Israeli Copyright law of 1911 section 21, (essentially the United Kingdom Copyright Act of 1911 as...

See also

• Western Stone

The Western Stone The Western Stone is a recently excavated foundational level brick of the Western Wall in Israel that is thought to be the heaviest object ever lifted by human beings. ...

References

A fanciful representation of Flavius Josephus, in an engraving in William Whistons translation of his works Josephus (37 – sometime after 100 CE),[1] who became known, in his capacity as a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus,[2] was a 1st-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and... The Wars of the Jews (or the history of the destruction of Jerusalem) is a book written by the historian Josephus as a description of Jewish history up to the events of the Destruction of Jerusalem. ... There have been several important people by the name of John Murray (roughly in chronological order): John Murray of Falahill, a Scottish outlaw John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl (1660-1724) John Murray (MP for Banffshire), 1707-1708. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Arutz Sheva Israel National Radio is a right wing Israeli radio station. ... For other uses, see Genesis (disambiguation). ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Western Wall and temple mount

• Resources > Jerusalem Project of the Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Researching the Jerusalem Temple Mount
• [4]
• History of the Western Wall
• Placing notes between the stones of the Western Wall
• Center for Jerusalem Studies
• "Western Wall" or "Wailing Wall"?
• Inscription on a Course of the Western Wall
• Egyptian writer says Muhammad's night trip was to Medina, not Jerusalem
• The Temple Mount and Fort Antonia
• The Shofar and the Wall (1930)
• Women of the Wall
• Photo gallery from the Western Wall

Live cameras, movies, and photographs

• Virtual Tour of Jerusalem @ jerusalem360.com - Interactive Panoramas from Israel
• Live 24 hr camera (click on webcam and live cameras)
• Live view of the Wall, refreshed every 20 minutes
• 360 degree dynamic panorama of The Wall (QuickTime movie format)
• Part of the wall in 3D (in gallery set 3)
• Jerusalem Photo Portal- Western Wall
• Liberation of the Temple Mount and Western Wall by Israel Defense Forces - Historic Live Broadcast on Voice of Israel Radio, June 7th, 1967
• Western Wall Photos

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