Jewish Tradition and the Wall
Since 132 CE (the failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt), the prayers of Israel both in the Land of Israel and throughout the Diaspora were directed towards the site of the destroyed Temple. The Temple itself, as well as all the structures on the Temple Mount, became endeared to the Jews. The Midrashic sources of this period speak about the Western Wall of the Holy of Holies from which the Divine Presence never moves. Since the Holy of Holies was destroyed, the notion of eternal Divine Presence became associated with the Western Wall of the Temple Mount.
Sources about the Jews in Jerusalem up to 16th century note their attachment to the site of the Holy Place, but the Western Wall is not referred to specifically, though the scroll of Ahimaaz (11th century) mentions a synagogue by the side of the Western Wall, and Benjamin from Tudela (12th century) mentions the Western Wall, together with the Mercy Gate (which is in the eastern wall of the Temple Mount).
or in the wake of the The Western Wall became a permanent feature in Jewish tradition about 1520, either as a result of the immigration of the Spanish exilesTurkish conquest in 1518. Thenceforth all literary sources describe it as a place of assembly and prayer for Jews. According to a tradition transmitted by Moses Hafiz, it was the sultan Selim (Suleiman) the conqueror of Jerusalem who recovered the wall from underneath the dungheap which was hiding it and granted permission to the Jews to hold prayers there. No Muslim sources about Jerusalem bear any evidence of the Arab interest in the Western Wall. The nearby area became Muslim religious property at the end of 12th century, and from 1320 there is mention of the Moghrabi Quarter established there. Nevertheless, Jews were able to hold their prayers at the Wall undisturbed.
The Recent History
With the expansion of the Jewish population in the Land of Israel from the beginning of the 19th century onward, and with the increase in visitors, the popularity of the Western Wall grew among Jews. Its image began to appear in Jewish folkloristic art, and later also in modern art drawings and in literature. The 19th century also was the beginning of the archaeological study if the Western Wall north and south of the open prayer spot. In 1838 Robinson discovered the arch since named after him, and in 1850s Barclay laid bare the ancient gate (now in the corner of the women's section). In 1865 Wilson described the bridge discovered by Tobler in the 1830th. In 1867 Sir Charles Warren sank shafts to reveal the full length if the wall.
During the 19th century the Jewish attempted to to get control of the Wall. In the 1850s Hakham Abdullah of Bombay failed in his efforts to buy it. Sir Moses Montefiore tried in vain to obtain permission for placing benches or for installing a protection against rain there. Permission to pave the street was, however, granted. Occasionally a table for the reading of the Torah was placed near the Wall, but had to be soon removed at the demands of the Waqf (Muslim religious authorities). In 1887 Baron Rotschild, basing on cooperation with Sephardi community, offered to buy the whole Moghrabi Quarter, resettle its residents and have it demolished. The plan never materialized, probably not only because of the Muslim objections, but due to disagreements between leaders of the Sephardi community.
In 1912 the Turkish authorities ordered the removal of a partition between men and women, benches, a glass cupboard for candles, a table for reading Torah, etc., after the complaints of Waqf.
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