The Western Wall You Don't Usually See

From More than just bricks in a wall: What the entire Kotel looked like

Two thousand years after King Herod’s builders laid the foundations for the Kotel on the Temple Mount, Israeli archaeologists have reached these foundations. The Wall’s architectonic picture is nearly complete and will soon be unveiled publicly.

...These past few months have witnessed the completion of a historic work undertaken in the City of David: the uncovering of the lowest point of the Western Wall’s foundational structure. The discovery, which has been hidden deep underground for thousands of years, was made possible by the uncovering of a Herodian-era drainage canal by archaeologists. Now the Western Wall’s entire architectonic picture is nearly complete, and it will be unveiled publicly in the next few weeks...the digging crew, led by archaeologists Roni Reich (Haifa University) and Eli Shukron (the Israel Antiquities Authority), has reached these layers. In a few weeks, the public will likely have the chance to get a glimpse for itself.

...the four bottom layers that lie beneath the Western Wall. They measure 11 meters in width. Although they are nothing more than stones, the first-hand contact is indeed a jarring experience...Now the Western Wall architectonic picture is nearly complete: It stretches 488 meters in length...
...Four years and one High Court of Justice petition later, the archaeologists weathered the storms and uncovered the 600 meters, which, in their own unique way, tell the story of the destruction of the Second Temple and the great revolt against the Roman Empire. Archaeologists discovered five separate holes in the floor of the street that stretches above the drainage canal. Since they did not find any boulders that would account for the existence of these holes, they were left with the conclusion that they were caused as a result of deliberate action. Other artifacts, including cooking pots and coins that date back to the second, third, and fourth years of the revolt, hinted of a possible solution to the mystery: the drainage canal was apparently the last refuge for the remaining Jewish mutineers who went into hiding from Roman soldiers.

...Removing the dirt from the drainage canal was a grueling task that was aided by a group of young Jews made available to the archaeologists by the Ir David Foundation. Arab laborers, who were employed at the site in the past, refused to take part in the excavations this time because of threats to their lives.
...During the course of the excavation, the archaeologists were stunned to discover that the drainage canal had “disappeared.” The researchers happened upon the foundations of the Umayyad palace, which were exposed near the foot of the Wall facing the south. The foundations cut through the canal. “We looked for the rest of the canal, east, west,” said Shukron. “We didn’t give up, and finally we got around the palace’s foundations and reconnected with the rest of the canal and finished the dig.”

The general public will have to wait patiently. The canal and the Western Wall foundations are still not open to visitors, yet that will soon change once the proper safety equipment is installed on site.

Can you wait?

^