President Goodluck Jonathan made a visit to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) Friday arriving in the Old City with his delegation Jonathan, wearing a white yarmulke, made his way down a walkway toward the Wall. He was escorted by the Rabbis, and also received a souvenir from the Chief Rabbai of Nigeria, Rabbi Israel Uzan after praying at the wall. President Jonathan was surrounded by many other followers at one of the holiest sites in Judaism. After the prayer, Jonathan walked a final few paces to the Wall and followed the custom of placing a personal prayer between the stone cracks, with his note left alongside hundreds of others. He placed his hand on the Wall, bowed his head and stood in quiet contemplation for a few moments. The Wailing Wall or Western Wall is in Jerusalem and is believed by many people to be the remains of one wall of a great Jewish temple or the wall surrounding the temple courtyard. It is a stone wall that extends about 62 feet (18.9 m) above the ground. The wall is considered to be a sacred site by Jews, and thousands of people make pilgrimages there each year. It also is a source of much dispute regarding its true history as well as a source of contention among Jews and Muslims, who consider it to be part of an ancient mosque or the wall to which the seventh-century Islamic prophet Muhammad tied his winged steed during his Night Journey. Temple Wall Jews and many other people consider the wall to have been part of a Jewish temple, also called the Second Temple, which stood for hundreds of years. King Herod ordered a renovation and expansion of the temple in about 19 B.C., and the work was not finished until about 50 years later. This temple was destroyed by Romans in about 70 A.D., only a few years after its completion. The Wailing Wall is widely believed to be the only part still standing.
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