The Broad Wall is an ancient defensive wall, seven meters thick, in Jerusalem's Old City, today the Jewish Quarter, bringing together First Temple period antiquities with a modern residential area. Unearthed in the 1970's by Israeli archaeologist Nahman Avigad, it is dated to the reign of King Hezekiah in the late 8th century BCE. A tall marker on the building on the left shows the presumed height of the wall. The wall was most likely built ahead of the expected invasion of Judea by Sennacherib and is referred to in Nehemiah 3:8 and Isaiah 22:9 - 10.
An open section of the Western Cardo displays the remnants of the main street which crossed Jerusalem during the Roman Byzantine era. This section of the street was built later during the Byzantine times, during the 6th century. It was an impressive avenue, 22 meters wide, almost double the size of the section exposed today. On the sides of the street stood two parallel rows of pillars which bore wooden beams on which roofing tiles were stacked in order to shield pedestrians from rain and sun. Some stone arches remain today, remnants of the shops that stood under the pillars.
The Hurva Synagogue (right), is a historic synagogue located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Founded in the early 18th century it was destroyed by Muslims in 1721. The plot lay in ruins for over 140 years and became known as 'the ruin', or Hurva (Hebrew). In 1864 it was rebuilt and became Jerusalem's main Ashkenazic synagogue until it was destroyed again by the Arab Legion after the withdrawal of Israeli forces during the 1948 Arab - Israeli War. After Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967, a number of plans were submitted for the design of a new building. After years of deliberation and indecision, a commemorative arch was erected instead at the site in 1977, itself becoming a prominent landmark of the Jewish Quarter. The plan to rebuild the synagogue in its 19th century style received approval by the Israeli Government in 2000 and the newly rebuilt synagogue was dedicated in 2010.
