HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Wilson's Arch () is the modern name for an ancient stone arch in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, the first in a row of arches that supported a large bridge connecting the
Herodian Herodian or Herodianus () of Syria, sometimes referred to as "Herodian of Antioch" (c. 170 – c. 240), was a minor Roman civil servant who wrote a colourful history in Greek titled ''History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus'' (τῆς με ...
Temple Mount The Temple Mount (), also known as the Noble Sanctuary (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, 'Haram al-Sharif'), and sometimes as Jerusalem's holy esplanade, is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem, Old City of Jerusalem that has been venerated as a ...
with the Upper City on the opposite Western Hill. The Arch springs from the
Western Wall The Western Wall (; ; Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: ''HaKosel HaMa'arovi'') is an ancient retaining wall of the built-up hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Its most famous section, known by the same name ...
and is still visible underneath later buildings set against the Wall. The name Wilson's Arch is also used to denote the hall that it partially covers, which is currently used as a
synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
. This hall opens towards the Western Wall Plaza at the Plaza's northeast corner, so that it appears on the left of the prayer section of the Western Wall to visitors facing the Wall. The Arch once spanned , supporting a bridge that carried both a
street A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with Building, buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like Street light, streetligh ...
and an aqueduct. The late-
Second Temple period The Second Temple period or post-exilic period in Jewish history denotes the approximately 600 years (516 BCE – 70 CE) during which the Second Temple stood in the city of Jerusalem. It began with the return to Zion and subsequent reconstructio ...
bridge stood over a stone-paved street, similar to Robinson's Arch and allowed people to access a gate that was level with the surface of the Temple Mount. Excavations between 2015 and 2019 collected organic material in the mortar used during various stages of construction. Radiocarbon dating indicated that the initial bridge to the Temple Mount was completed between 20 BCE and 20 CE, and a doubling in width occurred between 30 CE and 60 CE. The ground level during the Second Temple period was lower by some than its height during the period of the Early Arab conquest. In the 1980s it was thought that the original stones of the arch lie within the fillings at a depth of about 8 meters below the contemporary paved level, but this was proven to be wrong.


Name

In the description of the survey he made at the site, Charles Wilson wrote about " e arch, which Sir Henry James has called after my name". The bridge was part of what is sometimes called the "royal bridge", sometimes capitalised, based on
Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...
' description of the Herodian Temple.
Charles Warren Sir Charles Warren (7 February 1840 – 21 January 1927) was a British Army officer of the Royal Engineers. He was one of the earliest European archaeologists of the Biblical Holy Land, and particularly of the Temple Mount. Much of his military ...
, Wilson's contemporary and fellow archaeologist, called the remains of the bridge the "Great Causeway", and the underground corridor along its southern side the "Secret Passage".


Location

The Arch is located below the Street of the Chain leading to the Chain Gate of the
Temple Mount The Temple Mount (), also known as the Noble Sanctuary (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, 'Haram al-Sharif'), and sometimes as Jerusalem's holy esplanade, is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem, Old City of Jerusalem that has been venerated as a ...
. It connects to the Western Wall to the east and can be accessed by men from the Western Wall Plaza and by women from inside adjacent buildings.


Purpose

Wilson's Arch was built as part of a bridge described by
Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...
that connected the Temple Mount to the Upper City on the Western Hill; it carried a road as well as the last section of an aqueduct bringing water from Solomon's Pools near
Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
to the Temple Mount.


Date

The remains of the first arch of the bridge, known as Wilson's Arch, are distinct from those of the rest of the bridge and other possible later additions to it.


Absolute date

Excavations between 2015 and 2019 collected organic material in the mortar used during various stages of construction.
Radiocarbon dating Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for Chronological dating, determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of carbon-14, radiocarbon, a radioactive Isotop ...
published in 2020 indicated that the initial bridge to the Temple Mount was completed between 20 BCE and 20 CE, and a doubling in width occurred between 30 CE and 60 CE. The 2020 study concluded that Wilson's Arch was initiated by
Herod the Great Herod I or Herod the Great () was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the ...
, and enlarged during the Roman Procurators, such as
Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; ) was the Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135), fifth governor of the Judaea (Roman province), Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official wh ...
, in a range of 70 years. Not directly relevant to the dating process of the Arch are the pools built beneath it, the oldest of which was carbon-dated to 1305–1340 CE during the Mamluk period.


Structural correlations and relative date

Before the radiocarbon study published in 2020, which offered accurate ''absolute'' dates for the two construction phases of the Arch, the main method applied for obtaining a ''relative'' date was the interpretation of the correlation between the various successive structures at the site, most of which proved in the end to be inaccurate.


Herodian and/or Late Roman

Stinespring argued already in the 1960s that the Arch is still preserved in its original Herodian form, based on the way it is bonded to the
retaining wall Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls used for supporting soil laterally so that it can be retained at different levels on the two sides. Retaining walls are structures designed to restrain soil to a slope that it would not naturally keep to ...
of the Temple Mount, which indicates that it is "a definitive part of the ancient Temple structure." The fact that a Roman theater-like structure, which was discovered right underneath the Arch, was never finished due to the outbreak of the
Bar Kokhba Revolt The Bar Kokhba revolt (132–136 AD) was a major uprising by the Jews of Judaea (Roman province), Judaea against the Roman Empire, marking the final and most devastating of the Jewish–Roman wars. Led by Simon bar Kokhba, the rebels succeeded ...
(132–135 CE) or the death of the Emperor
Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...
in 138 CE, gives the ''
terminus ante quem A ''terminus post quem'' ('limit after which', sometimes abbreviated TPQ) and ''terminus ante quem'' ('limit before which', abbreviated TAQ) specify the known limits of dating for events or items.. A ''terminus post quem'' is the earliest date t ...
'' the Arch was built.


Discarded theory: Umayyad reconstruction

Before 2020, there were scholars who favored dating the Arch's construction to the Umayyad period (661–750), basing their conclusions on what they saw as evidence from the period of excavation after the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...
, when Israel's Ministry of Religious Affairs began to excavate the still unexposed areas of the Western Wall, and dug a tunnel beneath the existing structures above. During much of the time of these excavations, which went on between 1968–82 and were restarted in 1985, the
Israel Antiquities Authority The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, ; , before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. The IAA regulates excavation and conservatio ...
's (IAA) District Archeologist for Jerusalem was
Dan Bahat Dan Bahat (; born 1938 in Lviv in Poland) is an Israeli archaeologist especially known for his excavations in Jerusalem, particularly at the Western Wall tunnels. Biography Dan Bahat was born in Poland to Polish Jewish parents who were citizen ...
, who became the archaeologist of the site after resigning from the IAA. In his 1995 article ''Jerusalem Down Under: Tunneling Along Herod's Temple Mount Wall'', he wrote that the evidence found was enough to convince him that despite earlier beliefs that the Arch was built during Herod's time, the later dating is correct. It was believed by those who dated the current Arch to the later period, that it was a replacement for an earlier arch erected during the
Second Temple The Second Temple () was the Temple in Jerusalem that replaced Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. It was constructed around 516 BCE and later enhanced by Herod ...
period, and that the Umayyads didn't just restore the retaining walls surrounding the Mount, but also rebuilt the arches of the "Great Bridge" between Western Hill and Temple Mount.


Dimensions

The Arch was measured by Wilson, who noted that its crown reaches a height of above bedrock, and Bahat writes that the Herodian street which ran along the western wall is about above bedrock at the site. Wilson also noted the Arch's span being of . Only a portion of the Arch is visible today. A square shaft cut down under the arch allows sighting of the wall's courses of dressed stone hidden below the present ground level, fourteen in total, one being cut into the bedrock, reaching a depth of .


Discovery and excavation

Titus Tobler noted the structure and wrote in 1853 that "I regard the vaults as supporting arches for the path or bridge that leads from Suk Bab es-Sinsleh to Bab es-Sinsleh" (''sic'', es-Silsileh). The arch was scientifically documented for the first time in 1865 by explorer and surveyor Charles Wilson, for whom it was named. Wilson had joined the
Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem The Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem of 1864–65 was the first scientific Cartography of Jerusalem, mapping of Jerusalem, and the first Ordnance Survey to take place outside the United Kingdom. It was undertaken by Charles William Wilson, a 28-year-o ...
in 1864, continuing to participate in the city surveying project that was established to improve the city's water system. Not long after Wilson,
Charles Warren Sir Charles Warren (7 February 1840 – 21 January 1927) was a British Army officer of the Royal Engineers. He was one of the earliest European archaeologists of the Biblical Holy Land, and particularly of the Temple Mount. Much of his military ...
excavated under the arch by digging two trial shafts, one along the western pier all the way down to bedrock. He published his discoveries in 1876. In 1968, only a few months after the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...
, Israel began excavations to uncover the portion of the Western Wall that was not exposed. As the excavations continued, the opening to the arch was uncovered, and rubble began to be removed. The entire length of the Western Wall was only cleared in 1985, 17 years later. The space under the arch was fitted out after
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
as a
synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
, with a new floor built over the floor of a large
Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
- Ottoman water reservoir, called by Warren 'Pool Al Burak'. The presence of the synagogue restricted further excavation under Wilson's Arch to a large degree, with limited digs being carried out in 2006 and 2011, followed by a substantial dig between 2015 and 2018, which explored the space under Wilson's Arch in its entirety, i.e. 13 × 15 m, so . This large project focused on dating the arch and, after exposing a theatre-like structure directly beneath it, the date and function of this unexpected finding.


Associated structures


Herodian "Western Stone"

The Western Stone, located in the north section of the Arch, is a
monolithic A monolith is a monument or natural feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock. Monolith or monolithic may also refer to: Architecture * Monolithic architecture, a style of construction in which a building is carved, cast or excavated f ...
stone block forming part of the lower level of the Western Wall. Weighing , it is one of the largest building blocks in the world. The stone is long, wide and has an estimated height of . It is considered to be one of the heaviest objects ever lifted by human beings without powered machines. It is the largest building stone found in Israel and second in the world. It is only partially intact, the rest was destroyed in 70 CE during the Roman siege of Jerusalem.


Roman theater-like structure

A small Roman theater-like structure was discovered directly below the Arch. The theater was never finished, this being possibly the result of the
Bar Kokhba Revolt The Bar Kokhba revolt (132–136 AD) was a major uprising by the Jews of Judaea (Roman province), Judaea against the Roman Empire, marking the final and most devastating of the Jewish–Roman wars. Led by Simon bar Kokhba, the rebels succeeded ...
(132–135) or the death of Emperor Hadrian (r. 117–138).


Mamluk-Ottoman "Al-Buraq" Pool

The modern synagogue under the arch covers the
Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
- Ottoman cistern known in the time of Wilson and Warren as the 'Pool Al Burak'.


Makhkama building

Over the prayer hall area partially covered by the Arch is the large building known as the ''Makhkama'' or
Tankiziyya The at-Tankiziyya () is a historic building in Jerusalem that included a madrasa. It is part of the west wall of the al-Aqsa Compound. It is also known as the building. History Mamluk period The building was created in 1328–1330, funded throu ...
, that includes a porch looking over the Temple Mount. Former Chief Rabbi
Shlomo Goren Shlomo Goren (; 3 February 1918 – 29 October 1994), was a Polish-born Israeli rabbi and Talmud#Scholarship, Talmudic scholar. An Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jew and Religious Zionism, Religious Zionist, he was considered a foremost Posek, rabbin ...
used to use that porch to recite special "Kinot" prayers on the night of
Tisha B'Av Tisha B'Av ( ; , ) is an annual fast day in Judaism. A commemoration of a number of disasters in Jewish history, primarily the destruction of both Solomon's Temple by the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Second Temple by the Roman Empire in Jerusal ...
.


Modern synagogue


1967 work

After the 1967 Six-Day War, as part of the work at the Western Wall tunnels led by the Israel Ministry of Religious Affairs, the space under the arch was prepared to serve as a synagogue. For this purpose it was cleared down to a level c. 7 m below the pinnacle.


Renovation and 2006 dedication

In 2005, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation initiated a major renovation effort under Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, then-Rabbi of the Wall ("Rabbi of the Kotel", as the title is usually referenced, using the Hebrew word for the Wall). Israeli workers renovated and restored the area for three years, strengthening the arch in preparation for access for visitors and use for prayer. Scaffolding remained in place for over a year to allow workers to remove cement that had been applied as patches over the stone. Part of the restoration work were additions to the men's section, including a
Torah ark A Torah ark (also known as the ''hekhal'', , or ''aron qodesh'', ) is an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark is also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' () or ''aron ha-Kod ...
that can house over one hundred
Torah scroll A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Interior, Tora Cases.jpg">Torah cases at Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai, India ...
s, in addition to new bookshelves, a library, and heating for the winter and air conditioning for the summer. There is also a new room built for the scribes who maintain and preserve the Torah scrolls used at the Wall. Speakers at the March 12, 2006 dedication ceremony included: President of Israel, Mr. Moshe Katzav, Ashkenazi and Sephardi chief rabbis, Rabbi Yona Metzger and Rabbi Shlomo Amar, the mayor of Jerusalem, Rabbi Uri Lupolianski, the chief rabbi of the Kotel, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, and the director of The Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Rabbi Mordechai (Suli) Eliav.


Renovation and 2006 dedication

New construction also included a women's section and gallery, which was dedicated on May 25, 2006, a little more than two months after the March dedication ceremony. While not an officially declared synagogue, this addition creates a woman's section to allow separate seating during worship services and special events conducted within the Wilson's Arch prayer area, including
Bar Mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...
ceremonies, and advertisements for special programs such as the middle-of-the-night prayers climaxing the six-week " Shovavim" period have made a point of reminding women that this new area exists. According to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, this construction allowed women for the first time to "take part in the services held inside under the Arch." On May 14, 2008, United States First Lady
Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (née Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American educator who was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as the wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Bush was previously the fir ...
visited the new women's section during her visit to Israel.


Eternal light (2010)

On July 25, 2010, a Ner Tamid, an oil-burning "eternal light," was installed within the prayer hall within Wilson's Arch, the first eternal light installed in the area of the Western Wall. According to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, requests have been made for many years that "an olive oil lamp be placed in the prayer hall of the Western Wall Plaza, as is the custom in Jewish synagogues, to represent the menorah of the Temple in Jerusalem as well as the continuously burning fire on the altar of burnt offerings in front of the Temple, especially in the closest place to where they used to stand."


Special events

In 1983, a highly unusual interfaith service was conducted in the area under Wilson's Arch—the only one ever to be conducted at the Western Wall since it came under Israeli control. Attended by officers of the U.S. Sixth Fleet and their wives, meaning that men and women were allowed to sit together in what was described ad a small and intimate chapel, it was conducted under the supervision of the Israel Ministry of Religious Affairs, and led by U.S. Navy Chaplain (Rabbi) Arnold Resnicoff. Ministry of Affairs representative Yonatan Yuval was present, responding to press queries that this service was authorized as part of a special welcome for the American Navy. Since the restoration, a growing number of worship events have been scheduled in the area, to take advantage of the cover and temperature control, especially for services at night that are traditionally recited at the Wall. For example, "Tikkun Chatzot," a
kabbalistic Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal (). Jewi ...
midnight prayer for redemption has been conducted there, with a number of public figures in attendance. The area has also been utilized during times when security concerns make it difficult to allow the use of the outdoor prayer plaza, such as the March 19, 2009 visit of
Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
to the Wall and Temple Mount. Although the Pope's visit coincided with the Jewish festival of Lag B'Omer, the decision had been made to close the Wall and not allow services, but at the request of the Wall's rabbi, Shmuel Rabinovitch, the government allowed worship to be conducted in the area within the Arch. The original decision to close the entire prayer area to Jewish worship was criticised as soon as the decision was announced, one to two months before the visit. Rabbi Rabinowitch, protesting the decision, was quoted as saying that "It's inconceivable that the pope's visit would hurt worshippers at the Western Wall, some of whom have been praying there daily." Part of the reaction was a threat to assemble and protest on the part of some Israelis, saying the police would have to "drag" them out of the area. News articles quoted one comment that, "Just like the visit of a chief rabbi at the Vatican doesn't cause the Vatican to shut down, we expect the same approach when the Pope visits a place holy to the Jewish people." The decision to utilize the prayer area within Wilson's Arch, allowing worship during the Pope's visit, was eventually announced by the
Israel Police The Israel Police (; ) is the civilian police force of Israel. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fighting, traffic control, maintaining public safety, and counter-terrorism. It is under the jurisdiction o ...
and the Israel Security Agency ( ISA/Shin Bet). Worshippers were allowed into the main plaza during the hours before the Pope's scheduled arrival, but moved into the enclosed Wilson's Arch prayer shortly before he arrived. Video and audio streaming of some special events are available online from the "Wilson's Arch camera" (
webcam A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in Videotelephony, video telephony, live streaming and social media, and Closed-circuit television, security. Webcams can b ...
). It does not operate on
Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...
, the Jewish Sabbath, or on those Jewish holy days when photography is prohibited by Jewish
religious law Religious law includes ethical and moral codes taught by religious traditions. Examples of religiously derived legal codes include Christian canon law (applicable within a wider theological conception in the church, but in modern times distin ...
.


See also

*
Excavations at the Temple Mount A number of archaeological excavations at the Temple Mount—a celebrated and contentious religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem—have taken place over the last 150 years. Excavations in the area represent one of the more sensitive areas ...
*
Herod's Temple The Second Temple () was the Temple in Jerusalem that replaced Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC), Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. It was constructed around 516 BCE and later enhanced by Herod ...
* Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period * List of synagogues in Israel * Robinson's Arch * Synagogues of Jerusalem * Western Wall Tunnel


References


Bibliography

* * * *


External links


Photos: Wilson's Arch today and photographic renderings of its original form.

Modern photos.

Wilson's Arch photo gallery, Western Hall Heritage Foundation.



Map of ancient water route, including Wilson's Arch aqueduct.


* ttp://english.thekotel.org/cameras.asp?icon=1 Wilson's Arch live webcam.
The Jerusalem Archaeological Park



YouTube Video: Western Stone
(Hebrew, with some English written translation) {{Synagogues in Israel 20th-century synagogues in Israel Archaeological artifacts Buildings and structures in Jerusalem Jews and Judaism in the Roman Empire Shrines in Jerusalem Synagogues completed in 1967 Synagogues in Jerusalem Tabernacle and Temples in Jerusalem Temple Mount Wilsons Arch