Wednesday, November 24, 2004
All Clear at Temple Mount?
The eastern wall of the Temple Mount is no longer in danger of collapse, following repair work carried out by Jordanian engineers inside the compound, Israel's Antiquities Authority said Tuesday. But not all Israeli experts are convinced.
The concerns seem to be over the long term fate of the structure:
"What you can see looking at the wall leaves me with serious questions about the stability of the wall," said Hebrew University archaeologist and Temple Mount expert Dr. Eilat Mazar, noting that repair work at the southern and eastern walls is far from finished...A joint Egyptian-Jordanian report on the stability of the eastern wall issued earlier this year told of hundreds of small cavities all over the eastern wall. The report cited the natural flow of rainwater – not an earthquake – as the cause of the damage to the ancient wall.
If the damage is primarily from run off eroding the soil behind the walls, then another collapse is inevitable unless better drainage is worked out.
Despite my earlier concern about a collapse during Ramadan, at this point I think the Israelis have made every reasonable effort to prevent a disaster. The Waqf, due to their unwise construction project, now bears all the responsibility
The concerns seem to be over the long term fate of the structure:
"What you can see looking at the wall leaves me with serious questions about the stability of the wall," said Hebrew University archaeologist and Temple Mount expert Dr. Eilat Mazar, noting that repair work at the southern and eastern walls is far from finished...A joint Egyptian-Jordanian report on the stability of the eastern wall issued earlier this year told of hundreds of small cavities all over the eastern wall. The report cited the natural flow of rainwater – not an earthquake – as the cause of the damage to the ancient wall.
If the damage is primarily from run off eroding the soil behind the walls, then another collapse is inevitable unless better drainage is worked out.
Despite my earlier concern about a collapse during Ramadan, at this point I think the Israelis have made every reasonable effort to prevent a disaster. The Waqf, due to their unwise construction project, now bears all the responsibility
papijoe 7:07 AM
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