Recently
Israeli archaeologists have warned of the imminent collapse of the
southern wall of the Temple Mount. It should be noted that
the portion in danger of collapse is actually a relatively small part
of the 313-meter long wall.
Repairing
the Wall
The
wall has been weakened because of Muslim construction of a mosque in
the underground area of the Temple Mount usually called "Solomon's
Stables." The removal of material and supports from the
inside has created a visible protrusion in the wall.
The
Bulge
The
bulge is clearly visible from the southeastern corner of the Temple
Mount. Most of the bulge is hidden behind the scaffolding,
but the wall's curvature can be seen in the center of this photograph,
just to the right of the scaffolding.
Close-Up
This
image shows the bulge even more clearly. The protrusion
begins just a little below the midpoint of the picture and goes up to
nearly the top edge of the image. Some suggest that the only
way to prevent the wall from collapse is to tear it down in a
controlled manner and to rebuild it.
View
from West
You
can pick out the base of the bulge where the shadow starts at the
bottom. The shadow corresponds with the bulge for a short
distance before the scaffolding obscures it.
Close-Up
This
is the same photo as above, just closer in so the bulge is more
obvious. You can see the tombs on the Mt. of Olives in the
background and the outward slant of the wall.
New
Stones
Under a deal worked out between Israel and the Waqf (Muslim religious
authority in charge of Temple Mount), a Jordanian team began repairs on
the wall. In this photo, the replacement stones are easy to
pick out.
A
New Bulge
After repairs were underway on the southern wall, a new bulge in the
eastern wall was detected in early 2004. The photograph at
right shows the location of the two protrusions (A is the earlier bulge
on the southern wall; B is the more recent bulge on the eastern
wall). Both of them are located adjacent to the new mosque
built underground in the area traditionally known as "Solomon's
Stables."
Eastern
Wall
The
photo at left shows the area of the bulge on the eastern wall from the
south (the southeastern corner is visible). Scaffolding has
been erected to begin repairs of the
wall. As before, debate over the cause of
the problem is heated. See this
for Temple Mount developments.
Repair
Finished
After a number of years, work was completed on the stone replacement on
the southern bulge. The new stonework is easily visible from
a distance.
Jordanian Expert Mosque Wall Safe (Personal) Most recent
reports claiming that the wall is not in danger of collapse.
Don't believe everything you read.
