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Buraq wall (Western/Wailing wall)
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This wall, formerly referred to as the ‘Wailing Wall’ and now more commonly known as the ‘Western Wall’ is the most sacred place for Jews who believe it to be the only surviving structure of the Herodian temple. For Muslims it is known as the Buraq Wall, for on the other side is where the Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w.) tied the Buraq, the winged riding animal upon which he rode during the Night of Ascension.
- The area which the current plaza occupies used to be residential housing called the Maghribi (Moroccan) Quarter. It was endowed by Al-Afdal, the brother of Salahuddin so that aid and services could be provided for North African pilgrims and the poor; he also built a madrasah where the fiqh (jurisprudence) of the Maliki school of thought could be taught and studied.
- During the Mamluk period, madaris (seminaries) had been built all along this wall, except for a stretch of about 22 meters between the Street of the Chain (Tariq al-Silsila) and the Maghribi Gate. Jews had never previously shown any particular interest in this portion of the wall. In Herod’s day, the place had been a part of a shopping centre and had no religious significance. The Western Wall became a permanent feature in Jewish tradition in around 1520.
- The old city was given its definitive shape in the 16th century by Sulayman the Magnificent, who built the present day massive stone walls of the old city in 1537. It is said that he had a dream in which the Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w.) commanded him to organize the defence of Jerusalem.
- During the construction of the city wall, Sulayman issued an official edict permitting the Jews to have a place of prayer at the Western Wall. The famous Turkish architect Sinan (who designed the Blue Mosque in Istanbul) is said to have designed the site, excavating downward to give the wall added height and building a wall parallel to it to separate it from the Maghribi Quarter, creating an alley about 3.5 metres wide. In Jewish legend Sulayman was said to have helped clear the site himself and to have washed the wall with rose water to purify it, as Umar (r.a.) and Salahuddin had done when they reconsecrated the Sanctuary.
- One of the first acts of the Israelis, upon taking over East Jerusalem during the 1967 war was to give the 619 Palestinian inhabitants of the Maghribi Quarter just three hours to evacuate their homes. Then the bulldozers came in and destroyed this historic district. This act, in contravention of the Geneva Convention was done in order to create a plaza big enough to accommodate the thousands of pilgrims who were expected to flock to the Western Wall.
References:
Al-Quds - Mohammed Abdul Hameed Al-Khateeb
A history of Jerusalem – Karen Armstrong
Western Wall – Ben Dov
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