Archaeologists lead the check of the Western Wall after the fall of the stone

A huge stone fell from the western wall of Jerusalem, barely missing a worshiper, was removed Wednesday. The experts took the incident as a sign from above to examine the stability of the ancient structure.

Two millennia after thousands of workers set it up, the fallen stone was hoisted by an unpretentious crane operator named Yossi. high and wide and weighing about 400 kilograms (880 pounds), the stone fell on a prayer platform on Monday and missed a woman.

On Wednesday, the crane gently laid the stone on two nearby wooden boards zoned clearing. Three smaller rocks that had detached from the stone during its dislocation were also moved

Neither the professionals of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) nor the Rabbis of the # The Western Wall administration does not remember such an event

. a less visited part of the wall, where men and women are allowed to pray together contrary to the orthodox Jewish practice on the main square near the holy place.

Believers offered interpretations of what they saw as a divine sign, with theories "No one can understand divine reasoning, but we are commanded to be awakened," said Shimshon Elboim, a Jewish activist ultra-orthodox, on the site. located in East Jerusalem annexed by Israel, is the holiest place where Jews are allowed to pray.

They venerate it as the remains of A supporting wall of their second biblical temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD

There are millions of visits a year.

Immediately above is the sanctuary known to Jews as the Temple Mount, the holiest of Judaism, revered as the place where the two biblical Jewish temples

For Muslims is the enclosure of Haram al-Sharif, the third holiest of Islam after Mecca and Medina, and the home of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

– "Call Awakening" –

To Amit Reem, the Jerusalem District archaeologist for the IAA, the rare incident was "a wake-up call "to inspect the many antiques and archaeological sites in the Old City of Jerusalem.

To badess the condition of the wall, the IAA was to build scaffolding, with teams of professionals. Reem said the experts would be able to understand why the stone – in fact a part of one of the mbadive stone blocks of the wall – was breaking using radar, ultra-sound and lasers. "

" We think the reason is a natural reason – perhaps the water that has infiltrated the stone, perhaps the roots of plants that have grown in stone, "said L & # 39; archaeologist. that such occurrences are so rare was the testimony of Herod's "construction method of genius" according to Reem.

The ruler of the Roman era built the walls to enlarge the surface of the mount on which he built the sumptuous second Jewish temple.

He used the limestone quar They are then cleared of what is currently north Jerusalem, with masons meticulously each block "with millimetric precision" to fit tight ranks, before d & # 39; to be rolled on the site.

Stone blocks, weighing up to hundreds of tons

The experts do not know how they were put in place, but perhaps by cranes or ramps of land.

Each row of blocks was slightly set back from the previous one, creating a subtle pyramidal streak. Yossi Algrabli, owner of a crane company who came with his most trustworthy employee to lift the stone, praised Herod's work

"You see holiness here," he says. said while taking remote control of the mbadive crane.

"Whenever I come here, my heart melts."