The Western Wall isn't just a wall — it's the closest accessible point to where the Temple's Holy of Holies once stood. Herod built it as a retaining structure. After the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 AD, this became the center of Jewish religious life. The largest stone found in the complex weighs 570 tonnes, one of the heaviest objects ever moved in antiquity. The prayers pressed into its cracks number in the millions.
© J.L. Gerome (1824 - 1904) (French) Details on Google Art Project, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
