Western Wall

Roman · Israel

Field notes

civilizations

Roman

types

Wall · Sanctuary

built

19 BCE

occupied

19 BCE — 2,000 CE

country

Israel

The site

The western retaining wall of the vast platform that Herod the Great built around the Second Temple in Jerusalem. When the Romans razed the Temple in AD 70, this stretch of massive stone courses survived, and over the centuries it became the holiest place where Jews could pray, mourning the loss and praying for return — hence its old name, the Wailing Wall. Its lower blocks are Herodian; the plaza before it was cleared in 1967. Written prayers are still tucked into its cracks.

Nearby sites

~22 km

Qumran

~23 km

Jericho

~53 km

Masada

~83 km

Jerash