TheEastern Wall is an ancient structure inJerusalem that is both part of the eastern side of the citywall of Jerusalem and the eastern wall of the ancientTemple Mount.
The Eastern Wall is the oldest of the four visible walls of the Temple Mount; the Northern,Western andSouthern Walls date from the period ofHerod the Great, who expanded the area of the Temple Mount to the north, west and south. Older walls on these sides are presumed to survive underground. The Eastern Wall now visible was built in at least four stages, possibly as early as the reign ofHezekiah, during the time ofZerubbabel, in theHasmonean period and in theHerodian period. Repairs and major renovations were made in later periods. Major renovations to theGolden Gate were made in theUmayyad period.
Architectural archaeologistLeen Ritmeyer identifies specific courses of visibleashlars located on to the northern and south of theGolden Gate as earlier than the Hasmonean and Herodian ashlars, comparing them to similar stones of the 6th century BCE in theTemple of Eshmun andPasargadae. He dates them, on the basis of Biblical texts, to the period ofKing Hezekiah. More such stones are supposed to survive underground.[1][2] According toHershel Shanks, "most scholars," think that Ritmeyer is "correct."[2]
Ritmeyer has pointed out that theDome of the Rock is seated on a square platform atop the Temple Mount, the sides of which, defined by short flights of steps, are square and parallel to the modern walls of the Mount with one exception: the western steps deviate from parallel. Moreover, the bottom step on the western side of the Dome of the Rock platform is composed of a single line of distinctively large and "beautifully polished" ashlars.[2] According to Ritmeyer, the measurements given in theMishna, tractate Middot, "The Temple Mount measured 500 cubits by 500 cubits," can be traced on the modern Temple Mount, with this step the outline of the western side of the square and the Eastern Wall the eastern side.[2] The "precise" measurement of an ancient Judean royalcubit, 20.67 inches, outlines these landmarks area exactly.[2] The northern edge of the ancient square was demarcated byCharles Warren, the last archaeologist permitted by the localwaqf to explore the underground areas of the Mount, in his[clarification needed] the underground structure he labeled as No. 29 in surveys he carried out in the 1860s. The south eastern corner of the 500-cubit ancient platform square is marked by a visible bend in the eastern wall, at the point where a round column protruding from the wall near the top.[2][3] Ritmeyer proposes that this 500 cubit walled square was constructed by King Hezekiah c. 700 BCE to expand the flat area in which the faithful could gather at the Solomonic-era Temple. TheFoundation Stone around which is the ancient Jewish Temple was built and which is now sheltered under the Dome of the Rock, is a natural rock outcrop at the highest point of aMount Moriah; the natural contour of the land fell away steeply on all sides, although on the eastern side the natural contour formed a flat plateau before falling sharply to theKidron Valley along the line where the Eastern Wall stands.[1]
TheHasmonean dynasty expanded the 500 cubit Temple platform toward the south; distinctively Hasmonean ashlars are visible in the Eastern Wall.[1] The seam between the Hasmonean and Herodian extensions of the wall, known as the "straight joint", is visible as a vertical row of ashlars 32 meters north of the southeast corner.[1]
King Herod expanded the Temple Mount still further toward the south; distinctively Herodian ashlars are visible in the Eastern Wall, in the last stretch before the southeastern corner.[1]
The magnificent Muslim period Golden Gate (sealed) replaced the ancient Golden Gate. The present gate is understood to have been constructed during theUmayyad period atop the ancient footings.[1]
Lions' Gate is the second gate in the Eastern Wall of Jerusalem, it is located north of the Golden Gate.
There is a Muslim cemetery along the southern stretch of the Eastern Wall. A path through the cemetery and parallel to the wall lies atop the ancient city wall, explored by Charles Warren in excavations since covered over, which once lay just outside the Eastern Wall of the Temple Mount.[1]
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