Before thousands of worshipers sent the vaccine against the COVID-19 herd to the busy Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem, the West Wall Heritage Foundation launched efforts to remove the stones that up to preserve the 2,000-year-old sacred site – spraying its crevices with filler using filters. .
3 צפייה בגלריה
Conservators inject fillers into the walls of the West Wall using syringes
(Photo: Archaeological Authority)
According to the Antiquities Authority, one of the main causes of stone wear is the vegetation that penetrates the old rock foundations, as well as the various hens that find a home in the cracks in the wall.
“We pay attention to the importance of the special flora and fauna of the area when carrying out maintenance work,” said Yossi Vaknin, who will be in charge of the conservation of the West Wall area on behalf of the Antiquities Authority. .
“At the same time, we are working to ensure the sustainability of the stones, so that the West Wall retains its strength for another 2,000 years.
According to Vaknin, conservation workers are gently inserting materials into cracks and caverns of the stone that seem to make up for it.
“This is the ultimate vaccine for the world’s most important stones against time damage,” he said.
3 צפייה בגלריה
A conservator injects filler into the walls of the West Wall using syringes.
(Photo: Archaeological Authority)
Director of the West Wall Heritage Foundation, Mordechai Eliav, said they were preparing to return millions of worshipers who could not reach the site due to a coronavirus infection.
“Every year, more than 12 million people visit the Western Wall Plaza, although this year many were tied to the wall [via our website] because of coronavirus, “Eliav said.” Now we are preparing to return worshipers to the plague. “
“The West Wall Heritage Foundation does everything in its power to preserve the ancient stones and their durability for the safety of worshipers and visitors.”