Little remains of the ancient temple of Jerusalem from the time of Jesus but the retaining walls of its porch, like that of the Western Wall. At one time the wall was thought to have been an actual part of the Second Temple built by King Herod, and was revered as such for its sanctity. Even when it became clear that it was a retaining wall, which helped hold up the compound built around the Temple, it retained its sanctity as a part of the structure. It is the only remnant of the Temple that the Jews can touch, pray to and weep upon. It is, indeed, the most sacred sites of modern Judaism.

This vestige of the Second Temple period has witnessed unspeakable tragedy: the fall of the Temple and its total devastation by the Romans, Jewish banishment from the Holy City and pagan desecration of the Temple Mount. After the Moslem conquest of the city, Islamic construction of the Dome of the Rock and El-Aqsa Mosque was built over the Holy Temple’s foundations.

During the Ottoman rule of Israel Jews were permitted to frequent only a small section of the Wall. Then, from 1948 to 1967, the Holy City was divided and Jews separated from this holy site.