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Double-Decker Plaza at Western Wall Planned

From Arutz-7:

Israel is planning a major archaeological dig under the Western Wall (Kotel) plaza, opposite the Temple Mount, officials announced Thursday. The excavations will create an archaeological park directly underneath the area where worshippers currently stand while praying at the Kotel.
The current prayer area will remain open, supported by pillars, while a new area will be added underneath, at the level at which worshippers at the ancient Temple stood in the past.

Don’t expect the Arab leaders to miss this opportunity.

The dig may be met with harsh reactions from Muslim and Arab leaders in Israel and the Palestinian Authority, many of whom have accused Israel of attempting to damage the Al-Aksa Mosque on the Temple Mount. Jerusalem-area Muslims recently rioted for several days after it was rumored that “Jewish settlers” had planned to pray on the Temple Mount.

You can see an artist’s sketch of what the area will look like here.  The full article is here.

The present plaza level was lowered in the 1960s, as I noted with this interesting photo comparison.

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4 thoughts on “Double-Decker Plaza at Western Wall Planned

  1. When I was there last November, one of the workers told me about this plan. Glad to see it's going to happen.

    Now, if they would only tell us what's up at the Jaffa Gate.

  2. Al – in Israel, there's a BIG difference being plans being announced and saying that something is "going to happen."

    Nothing has happened at Jaffa Gate as of this week.

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About the BiblePlaces Blog

The BiblePlaces Blog provides updates and analysis of the latest in biblical archaeology, history, and geography. Unless otherwise noted, the posts are written by Todd Bolen, PhD, Professor of Biblical Studies at The Master’s University.

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