Visiting the Western Wall

For Jews and non-Jews alike, a visit to the Western Wall is a remarkable experience. It is one of those places that is the focus of such passionate emotions that it is impossible to remain unmoved. Non-Jews are allowed to sit in the plaza and to approach the wall itself. Lower sections of the wall are remains of the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. The wall is also sacred because of its proximity to the supposed location of the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount (for which the Western Wall is a retaining wall). In Jewish tradition, this is where the divine presence resides at the intersection of heaven and earth. Today, it is covered by a seventh-century Muslim shrine, the Dome of the Rock. The open-air portion of the wall is about 200 feet long, but another 1,591 feet is underground and is accessible via the Western Wall Tunnel. It is possible to join a subterranean tour organized by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. You may also visit the Temple Mount via the Mughrabi Gate next to the Western Wall, open from Sunday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. However, it is advisable to check, as the Temple Mount remains under the control of the Waqf, the Islamic religious authorities.