The experience of walking before the Western Wall in Jerusalem

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Western Wall in Jerusalem

If there is an experience that produced more expectation in the face of trip to Israel I've done recently, this is undoubtedly meet and walk through the Wailing Wall.

And the truth is that he has not disappointed me at all, but on the contrary, he has impressed me.

Our guide Riky He told us the story of a Catholic priest from one of the many groups of religious tourists who come to Jerusalem every year, who when they arrive before him Wailing Wall He began to cry.

The reason? that he would like to see in his church only a little of the enormous faith that is manifested every day in that corner of Jerusalem.

Beyond the religious beliefs of any sign, or even non-beliefs, the truth is that visit and stroll through the Western Wall is a essential experience on a trip to the lavish Jerusalem.

And I assure you that it will be one of the most intense experiences in your trip to Israel.

Where is the Wailing Wall

But, what is the Western Wall and where is it??

Western Wall in Jerusalem

It is the remains of the western retaining wall of the second Jerusalem Temple, section that has become the most sacred place of Judaism.

This temple was located on the mount moriah and was destroyed in the year 70 by the Romans, during the Great Jewish Revolt.

Now the aforementioned vestiges of its western wall summon thousands of Jews every day for prayer, most of them orthodox.

How to visit the Western Wall

To see the wall you will have to move to the west of the Great Esplanade of the Mosques, the walled area that occupies the space of the ancient temple, and that is now holy place for muslims and forbidden access for Jews.

At trip to Jerusalem we went twice to Wailing Wall, the first time, on a Saturday night, the Jewish holiday of sabbat.

Access to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

At night it is very easy to locate where in the Old City of Jerusalem The wall is located, because the great esplanade that opens before this place is under the great illumination of huge spotlights.

To access this esplanade, you must first go through a security check in which men and women will be separated by different scanners.

What to see at the Western Wall

Already in the forecourt you will see before you the famous Wailing Wall. for whose visit you must go with the appropriate clothes, without shorts or with the shoulders covered.

Actually you will only see a small section of 57 meters in length and 19 meters of visible height, since the rest of the western wall, which has a total length of 488 meters, is hidden by residential buildings that are attached to it.

There is also a network of tunnels that allow you to reach the lowest parts of the wall, which were built around the year 19 by order of king Herod.

Western Wall in Jerusalem

From the esplanade you will see that women gather in the right part of the wall, while men pray in the left part.

When visiting at the time of prayer, the truth is that there was a large influx of Orthodox Jews, and also many women, especially very young.

Even if you are not a Jew, you can easily access the wall while people are praying.

Of course, men must take and put ourselves in the head the kipa, the little ritual cap that the Jews must always use in sacred places like synagogues or cemeteries.

Surely you will be surprised (like me…) the great fervor of those who are praying, each at their own pace, with or without head movements, in some cases at a frantic pace.

Tunnel area of ​​the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

The men, in addition to the open area of ​​the wall, have a large annex tunnel where they also concentrate to pray and where you can see large shelves with religious books.

In the visit we made the next day, early in the afternoon, a warm afternoon, we were surprised to see that there were almost no people praying by the wall.

The reason is that almost everyone was in the interior area of ​​the tunnel.

Finally, for your visit, I anticipate that you will not have any problem in taking photos or filming video in this prayer area, of course, doing it with due respect.

I advise you not to miss the video that accompanies this article.

Tunnel area of ​​the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

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Video: To the western wall by walk. Jerusalem. Yerushalaim. Old city (March 2024).