Day 14 - Last Day - Tunnel Tour by the Western Wall

A tiny portion of the Western Wall of the Temple Mount from Christ's time is all we can see remaining. That is where Jews come from all over the world to pray. This tour is of underground excavations of a much larger part of the Western Wall.

The tunnel tour showed us arches holding up the Herodian raod which ran alongside the Temple Mount.  Here is a video clip showing the tunnel. http://english.thekotel.org/VisitorInfo.asp?id=2

A cool model of the Temple Mount Herod built around the temple around Christ's time.  The wall on the left is the Western Wall.  The white building on top is the Holy of Holies of the temple.

The white lights show the tiny part of the Western Wall left above ground today.  We got to see much of what's left underground.

The smooth stone on the lower part of the wall is one LARGE stone in the Western Wall from Christ's time.  It is an astounding 45 feet wide and 15 feet deep.  We have no idea how they moved it.  Mike wonders if they carved it where they found it.  I wish I could remember what this huge arch meant.

A close up of the same. 

Joni enjoying the tour.  This little five year-old niece of mine was a TROOPER.  She loved going places with us. She has no idea how amazing it is that her daily life is seeing sites from Christ's time.  Just another day in the life of Joni.

Herod carved the stones with a smooth surface and an inner carved border.

This is the part of the wall closest to the Holy of Holies, where it means the most to the Jews to pray, believing their closest to God's presence.

My sister Amy is six feet tall, so she appreciated the soft padding attached to low spots of the tunnel.

This floor is the same floor next to the Temple Mount when Christ lived here. Mine and Amy's feet.