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Western Wall by night
The Western Wall, known as the Kotel HaMa'aravi הכותל
המערבי in Hebrew, also called the
Wailing Wall (or Al-Buraq Wall, in a mix of English and Arabic) is a remaining outer court-yard
wall of the Temple in Jerusalem, the holiest building in
Judaism connected to the special sanctity of the Temple Mount on which the First and Second ancient Jewish Temples stood. The first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, the second by the Romans. Each Temple
stood for a period of about 400 years.
According to legend, when Titus's legions destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, only a part of an outer court-yard 'western
wall' remained standing. Legend has it that Titus left it as a bitter reminder to The Jews that Rome had vanquished Judea. The Jewish historian Josephus, an eyewitness to the
events of the Jewish rebellion of 66-70 says Titus left the wall as part of a garrison for the Tenth Legion, left to keep watch
over the area, and as a monument to the defenses the Roman army had overcome in taking the city. The Jews however attributed it
to a promise made by God that he would leave some part of the holy Temple standing as a sign of his unbroken bond with the Jewish
people in spite of the catastrophe which had befallen them. Jews have prayed there for two thousand years, believing that that
spot has greater holiness than any other accessible place on Earth, or the fourth holiest overall, after the Holy of Holies, the
rest of the Temple area, and the Courtyard, and that God is nearby listening to their prayers. There are some customs, such as
leaving written prayers addressed to God in the cracks of the wall. Included in the thrice daily Jewish prayers are fervent pleas that God return to the land of Israel, ingather all the Jewish exiles, rebuild the (Third) Temple, and bring the messianic era with
the arrival of Moshiach, the Jewish messiah.
The Western Wall is holy to the Jewish people because this wall, is part of a wall that encompasses the Temple Mount along with the southern and eastern sections. This encompassing wall
is the only remnant of the Temple in Jerusalem, the most holy
site in Judaism. Of the three wall sections, eastern, southern and western, the western is the traditional site of prayer.
On the Temple Mount, encompassed by the wall, the Muslims over the centuries built
the Dome of the Rock and the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque, from which they believe that Mohammed
ascended to heaven on a horse in a mysterious vision. For Muslims it is their third
holiest spot on Earth, after Mecca and Medina
in Saudi Arabia. In the past there was little contention over who "owns"
the area and who should have custody over it, because outside powers ruled, such as Turkey for 400 years (1515-1917), followed by
the British (1917-1948). However, since the independence of the State of Israel, over the last 50 years this area has become part
of the larger struggle in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
According to most rabbis, Jews are forbidden to enter certain areas of the Temple Mount.
These areas are defined differently by different rabbinic authorities, nonetheless all agree that the enterance 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. 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. This area was held
to be where the patriarch Jacob slept and dreamt of a ladder going up to heaven with
angels (Genesis). This spot is identified with the Holy Of Holies.
In ancient times only certain people were permitted into the Temple's grounds. The Temple complex was 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. Other areas were
accessible only to members of the priestly family, the Kohanim. Other areas, further from
the Holy of Holies were accessible to the Levi'im. Further out were areas accessible to all
Jews.
By 1517 Islamic Turkey under Selim I
took the land of what was once ancient Israel and Judea from the Egyptian Mamelukes (1250 -1517). Turkey had a benevolent attitude towards the Jews, having welcomed thousands of Jewish
refugees who had recently been expelled from Spain by King Ferdinand in 1492. The Turkish Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent , was so taken with Jerusalem and its plight that he ordered that a magnificent surrounding fortress-wall
built around the entire city (which was not that large at that time.) This wall still stands and can be seen by all today.
During that time 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, but incorrect name, the
Wailing Wall.
When the United Kingdom took control of the land in 1917 under General Edmund Allenby, Jews
were still allowed to stand by the wall and utter their prayers. However during the 1947-8 War of Israel's independence, the area
near the wall was taken over by Arab Legion of the army of Jordan. Jews were denied access to the wall, and building were constructed with a few meters of
the wall. During the 1967 Six Day War, Israel brought the wall under complete
Jewish control for the first time in 2,000 years.
The Israelis built a large plaza in front of the wall which is used by thousands of Jews on the Jewish holidays, and is a
favorite tourist attraction year round. Many foreign heads of state who visit Israel, come to the Wall, out of their respect for
its significance to Israel and to Jews world-wide. 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 emanates from it.
Muslim claims regarding the Wall
- Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, chairperson of the Palestinian Higher Islamic Commission and Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, claims that the
Temple Mount, all its structures and wall, including the Western Wall, are
sacred places "only for the Muslims around the globe." IslamOnline
- Fatwa asserting "Jews Have No Legitimate Claim to Al-Buraq Wall" [1]
Recent damage to plaza
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 (Hebrew Sha'ar HaMughrabim, Arabic Bab al-Maghariba) and on the Temple Mount
collapsed. [2]
Other theories
One theory postulates that the Western Wall is not a surviving wall of the temple, but is rather part of an old Roman fortress
that dominated the city. This theory is promoted by "The Associated for Scriptural Knowledge" in their document: The Temple Mount and Fort
Antonia
External links
See also: Temple Mount -- Judaism -- Israel -- Jerusalem
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