Jerusalem’s Western Wall

The Jewish Second Temple of Jerusalem was built during the 6^th Century BC on Temple Mount, where it is thought King Solomon’s First Temple once stood. It was expanded by King Herod the Great between 37 and 4 BC, before being destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

Western Wall Plaza

Temple Mount, with the Dome of the Rock rising above the Western Wall

The Western Wall is all that is left of the Second Temple. For centuries it was known as the Wailing Wall, because Jews came there to mourn the destruction of the temple.

Looking up at the Western Wall

The large stone blocks at the base of the Wall are from Herod’s expansion of the Second Temple, the smaller blocks above are from the later Islamic era

Through Wilson’s Arch, to the left of the visible section, the Western Wall continues beneath the buildings above

To Jewish people, the Western Wall is the holiest place in the World.

Praying at the Men’s section of the Western Wall

Wooden arks against the wall contain scrolls of the Torah, the Jewish holy scriptures

The Torah are protected by ornate boxes

Scrolls of the Torah

View of the Men’s section of the Western Wall, from the Women’s section

The Western Wall is also occasionally called the Wishing Wall, after the hundreds of thousands of notes containing prayers and wishes, pressed into the cracks of the wall each year.

Some of the hundreds of thousands of prayers and wishes placed into the crevices of the Western Wall each year

The notes are removed twice a year, after which they are buried in a cemetery on the Mount of Olives

As you can imagine, security around the Western Wall Plaza is strict. At the very least, this makes you pause for thought, sad that it is considered necessary.

The entrance to the Western Wall Plaza

The need for such tight security could make you a little nervous

This post was inspired by this photo themes of Wish and Nervous from the Daily Post, and Fabricated from Jennifer’s One Word Photo Challenge. It’s also a second contribution to Looking Up At Things from Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge.

Looking Up At Old Jerusalem from the base of the Western Wall

The first two Jaspa’s Journey adventures, The Great Migration and The Pride of London, are now available in both paperback and ebook formats! Click here for more information. The third instalment, Jaspa’s Waterloo, is scheduled to be released by Speaking Volumes later this year.

Jaspa’s Journey: Perfect for Kids 8 – 80!