Temple Mount Collapse?

Southern Wall of Temple Mount Recently Israeli archaeologists have warned of the imminent collapse of the southern wall of the Temple Mount.  It should be noted that the portion in danger of collapse is actually a relatively small part of the 313-meter long wall.

Repairing the Wall The wall has been weakened because of Muslim construction of a mosque in the underground area of the Temple Mount usually called "Solomon's Stables."  The removal of material and supports from the inside has created a visible protrusion in the wall.

The Bulge The bulge is clearly visible from the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount.  Most of the bulge is hidden behind the scaffolding, but the wall's curvature can be seen in the center of this photograph, just to the right of the scaffolding.

Close-Up This image shows the bulge even more clearly.  The protrusion begins just a little below the midpoint of the picture and goes up to nearly the top edge of the image.  Some suggest that the only way to prevent the wall from collapse is to tear it down in a controlled manner and to rebuild it.

View from West You can pick out the base of the bulge where the shadow starts at the bottom.  The shadow corresponds with the bulge for a short distance before the scaffolding obscures it.

Close-Up This is the same photo as above, just closer in so the bulge is more obvious.  You can see the tombs on the Mt. of Olives in the background and the outward slant of the wall.

New Stones Under a deal worked out between Israel and the Waqf (Muslim religious authority in charge of Temple Mount), a Jordanian team began repairs on the wall.  In this photo, the replacement stones are easy to pick out.

A New Bulge After repairs were underway on the southern wall, a new bulge in the eastern wall was detected in early 2004.  The photograph at right shows the location of the two protrusions (A is the earlier bulge on the southern wall; B is the more recent bulge on the eastern wall).  Both of them are located adjacent to the new mosque built underground in the area traditionally known as "Solomon's Stables."

Eastern Wall The photo at left shows the area of the bulge on the eastern wall from the south (the southeastern corner is visible).  Scaffolding has been erected to begin repairs of the wall.    As before, debate over the cause of the problem is heated.  See this for Temple Mount developments.

Repair Finished After a number of years, work was completed on the stone replacement on the southern bulge.  The new stonework is easily visible from a distance.

Related Web Sites

The Bulge on the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount Becomes Larger (Temple Mount Faithful) Nightmare on the Temple Mount  (NY Post) Article by Daniel Pipes. Collapse of Jerusalem Wall Could Inflame Muslim World (Crosswalk.com) Jordanian Expert Mosque Wall Safe (Personal) Most recent reports claiming that the wall is not in danger of collapse.  Don't believe everything you read. Eastern Temple Mount Wall May Collapse (Jerusalem Post)  An article on the most recent weakness in the Temple Mount structure.