Unearthing the Western Wall's Giant Stone: A Mystical Journey

Location:<\/strong> Temple Mount. Year:<\/strong> 2920 years ago<\/p>

Visiting the Western Wall tunnels provides a captivating, unique experience, revealing the preserved stones in their original splendor from thousands of years ago. The most astonishing sight is undoubtedly the largest stone at the entrance of the tunnel that stretches along the Wall.<\/p>

This stone is the largest building block in the world. It weighs over 570 tons, measures 13.6 meters in length, 4.6 meters in width, and is 3.3 meters high. Its volume is 206.448 cubic meters.<\/p>

"For years, many believed the largest stones were within Egypt's great pyramids, until the giant stone at the Wall was discovered," says Yoni Cohen, a guide who daily walks visitors through the Western Wall tunnels. "People stand before the stone, marveling at its size; they walk alongside it, and it just seems endless."<\/p>

Yoni adds, "This stone is the size of an average bus and weighs even more than a fully-loaded one."<\/p>

The stone forms part of the Wall with other enormous stones, each averaging between eight to ten tons, with the smallest weighing just one and a half tons. It was exposed by excavators revealing the lower courses of the Wall after the Six-Day War within the tunnels.<\/p>

The stone belongs to layers laid during Herod's era over 2,900 years ago, showcasing his architectural style. "Herod's fingerprint," Yoni notes, "is evident in the finely carved front with a decorative and impressive framework, similar stones are found in Herodium, Caesarea, and wherever Herod constructed."<\/p>

But when this giant stone was uncovered, a mystery emerged: how was it transported and positioned? In those days, advanced cranes and hydraulic tools did not exist. No method could lift such a stone. A partial answer came when excavators found a quarry near the Temple Mount’s rock foundation. <\/p>

The theory suggests the stone was quarried atop the rock then rolled down on rounded logs functioning as rollers. "This implies the stone was never lifted, only rolled downward. Yet," Yoni remarks, "the mystery isn’t fully solved, as it's unclear which material could support its weight without crumbling under the immense burden."<\/p>

Why was this massive stone placed in precisely that spot? Yoni explains: "The entire layer, where the giant stone lies, is built of huge stones, thus named 'Rabah Layer'. The Temple Mount wall is built stone upon stone without cement or other materials, relying solely on weight to hold them together." And why is this layer so large?<\/p>

"The Western Wall is not, as many mistakenly believe, a wall of the Temple itself, but the western wall of the Temple Mount. In fact, walls exist on all four sides. This lower portion supports the Temple Mount floor aided by arches built between the walls.<\/p>

In addition, the sages say the Temple Mount is built with arches upon arches to prevent impurity, so this vast layer may support not just the stones above, but also serve as a foundation for massive arches rising behind the wall, forming a dome over which the Temple Mount floor is laid, functioning precisely for that purpose."<\/span><\/p>