Second Temple-era Mikveh Discovered Beneath the Western Wall

Right now on Independence Day, [music] taking advantage of the holiday, I decided to accept [music] the invitation from some friends here at the Western Wall Heritage Foundation >> [music] >> and to see this wonderful, amazing, and moving place beneath the Western Wall Plaza. You can see above us here, that's the Western Wall Plaza where Jews stand and pray. >> [music] >> And since the coronavirus, they've had the opportunity to excavate here. Of course, they installed serious support pillars and are uncovering layer by layer the ancient Jewish history here in [music] the place where the temple once stood above us. The excavations are ongoing and ultimately the goal is to reach the wall itself from below. And what we're seeing here is one of the most exciting discoveries. Of course, alongside many clay jars, oil lamps, and so on. Here, they discovered an original ritual bath, mikveh, >> [music] >> from the Second Temple period, built exactly according to Jewish law. Here are the steps, the stairs that lead down to the mikveh.