The Western Wall

THE WESTERN WALL
Sixth in the "Views of Jerusalem" Series

The Western Wall - The Kotel - on the Temple Mount in the heart of Jerusalem is the holiest place for the Jewish People. It is to The Kotel that one turns in prayer from all over the world. The Kotel is the last remnant of the Temple in Jerusalem, located nearest to the site of the Holy of Holies in the First and Second Temples. According to Jewish Tradition, the Divine Presence never leaves this place. The ups and downs in Jewish history and the people's yearning for their glorious past are all reflected in the Western Wall.

In the first century BCE, King Herod initiated a great renovation project to glorify the Second Temple, which included the construction of four supporting walls built from Jerusalem stone, one of them being the Western Wall. The Wall consists of 45 courses of stones, out of which 28 are exposed today, while 17 are underground. The height of the Wall in the Prayer Plaza is about 32 meters from its foundation. Amazingly, the huge Herodian stones of the Wall were meticulously laid down by King Herod's builders, without any binding substance between them. The largest of the stones weighs hundreds of tons. Above the stones from the Second Temple period, layers of relatively smaller stones were added in later times.

Today, the Western Wall is a place for prayer, as well as for religious and state ceremonies. Millions of tourists, including Heads of States, are drawn to the Western Wall, and many are inspired to insert notes within the crevices of its stones, with a private prayer.

Design: Face – Lilach Rubin, Common Reverse of the Series – Yaacov Enyedi

Minting: The Holy Land Mint

Face: A view of the Western Wall Prayer Plaza and the adjoining buildings to the left, among them the Dome of the Rock. To the right in the background is the Tower of David.  Inscription "The Western Wall" in Hebrew and English.

Common Reverse: Lion of Jerusalem and prominent buildings of Jerusalem, within the outline of a coat of arms, the Holy Land Mint trademark.

Inscriptions:  1oz. Fine Gold .9999 on the gold, 1oz. Fine Silver .999 on the silver, in English, "Jerusalem of Gold" in English and Hebrew and the mint year on the gold.

Minting: The Holy Land Mint