Sights and Insights: Jerusalem down underI have collected some earlier posts on Jerusalem tunnels and caves at the end of this post.
By WAYNE STILES
01/23/2012 11:09 (Jerusalem Post)
The Western Wall Tunnel allows visitors to explore the full length of the Kotel, seeing first-century Jerusalem.
Wayne Stiles is an author who has never recovered from his travels in Israel and loves to write about them from his desk in Texas.
Question: What major site in Jerusalem can a visitor see without wasting daylight but that still requires men to wear a hat? (Okay, so you could wear a yarmulke instead of a hat. And really, most men remove the hat after ten minutes anyway.)
Answer: The Western Wall tunnel.
When you say the words “Kotel” or “Western Wall,” most folks think of the Western Wall plaza, the place where bar- and bat-mitzvahs regularly occur and where soldiers are inducted. It’s the spot where Jews come to pray—as well as many tourists—and the place of national prayer gatherings.
But like the tip of an iceberg, the Western Wall plaza represents only a small part of the whole picture. Most of the Kotel lies buried beneath the rubble of time and hasn’t seen the light of day for centuries. Because the site represents part of the Western Wall, the tour requires all men to cover their heads respectfully.
[...]
UPDATE (24 January): Todd Bolen comments and shares some of his own photos.
