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Western Wall
Description
Western Wall The Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount. It is a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded the Jewish Temple's courtyard, and is arguably the most sacred site recognized by the Jewish faith outside of the Temple Mount itself. Just over half the wall, including its 17 courses located below street level, dates from the end of the Second Temple period, commonly believed to have been constructed around 19 BCE by Herod the Great, but recent excavations indicate that the works were not finished during Herod's lifetime. The remaining layers were added from the 7th century onwards. The Western Wall refers not only to the exposed section facing a large plaza in the Jewish Quarter, but also to the sections concealed behind structures running along the whole length of the Temple Mount, such as the Little Western Wall–a 25 ft section in the Muslim Quarter. It has been a site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage for centuries; the earliest source mentioning Jewish attachment to the site dates back to the 4th century. From the mid-19th century onwards, attempts to purchase rights to the wall and its immediate area were made by various Jews, but none was successful. With the rise of the Zionist movement in the early 20th century, the wall became a source of friction between the Jewish community and the Muslim religious leadership, who were worried that the wall was being used to further Jewish nationalistic claims to the Temple Mount and Jerusalem. Outbreaks of violence at the foot of the wall became commonplace and an international commission was convened in 1930 to determine the rights and claims of Muslims and Jews in connection with the wall. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War the wall came under Jordanian control and Jews were barred from the site for 19 years until Israel captured the Old City in 1967 and three days later bulldozed the 800 year old Moroccan Quarter for easier access to the wall. (via Freebase)
 
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Videos From Around the Web
Mitt Romney visits Western Wall
Mitt Romney visits Western Wall
www.cnn.com
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Articles Around the Web
Western Wall Plaza Excavation Results
frstephensmuts.wordpress.com
— Dec 27, 2011 at 10:36 am
Women at the Western Wall
www.washingtonpost.com
— Jan 8 at 11:26 am
...takes her place. They’re all laughing and joking together. These are more the types of Israelis I’ve met since I’ve lived here. What kind of soc...
Praying at the Western Wall
Arutz Sheva
— Jan 13 at 07:17 am
...half a generation to intermarriage, it was also going to lose the rest to Zionism. While Israel welcomes all Jews, it does not mean that ancient...
Palestinians and the Western Wall
Commentary
— Apr 11 at 02:10 pm
...They did the same thing in 1996 about the opening of a Western Wall tunnel exit that had nothing to do with them. Some put this down only to the...
War on Western Wall reaches court
Ynetnews
— Jan 9 at 11:32 am
...and are asking the court to remove the control of the holy site from the hands of the Western Wall rabbi. Israel's Reform Movement, women's orga...