The plan, which was drawn up by Israeli architect David Shriki, is part of a larger plan to renovate the Buraq Wall. It was presented to Israel’s Jerusalem municipality and the Planning and Construction Committee on Tuesday to renovate the Jewish quarter and ease access to the Western Wall Plaza.
Under the plan, a new gate will be erected for entry to a tunnel to be dug under rock under the layers of the city near the Maghariba Gate. The tunnel will lead to a four-level garage under the plaza’s current parking area not far from the Western Wall.
According to the plan, the tunnel and lot will be hewn into rock deep under the city and the archeological layers will be left intact.
The last time a door was placed in the city wall was in 1898 when the Ottoman empire destroyed a part of the wall near the Jaffa Gate to allow the passage of the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was visiting the city.
The planning committee in Israel has not yet voted on the plan, but has announced that discussions over it will continue next week.
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