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The Western Wall (Wailing Wall) in Jerusalem is most sacred to the:
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Answer: Option B — Jews
Detailed Solution
The Western Wall, also known as the "Wailing Wall" or "Kotel" in Hebrew, in the Old City of Jerusalem, is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray.
About the Western Wall:
It is a remaining part of the retaining wall that surrounded the Temple Mount, built by King Herod the Great around 19 BCE when he expanded the Second Jewish Temple.
The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. The wall is the most important surviving structure connected to it.
The name "Wailing Wall" comes from the practice of Jews mourning (weeping) here over the destruction of the Temple.
About 488 metres of the wall exist in total, but only about 57 metres is exposed in the main prayer plaza; the rest is hidden behind buildings or underground (seen in the "Western Wall Tunnels").
Visitors and pilgrims write prayers on small pieces of paper and place them in the cracks of the wall ("kvitlach").
It has separate prayer sections for men and women.
It has been under Israeli control since the Six-Day War of 1967.
Jerusalem and three religions:
- Jerusalem is sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
- Judaism: the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.
- Christianity: the "Church of the Holy Sepulchre", believed to be the site of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus; the "Via Dolorosa".
Islam: the "Al-Aqsa Mosque" and the "Dome of the Rock", located on the Temple Mount (called "Haram al-Sharif" by Muslims). Al-Aqsa is the third-holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. Muslims call the Western Wall the "Al-Buraq Wall".
The "Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1981), proposed by Jordan; it is on the "List of World Heritage in Danger".
Other holy sites:
Judaism: Western Wall (Jerusalem).
Christianity: St. Peter's Basilica (Vatican), Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem).
Islam: Kaaba (Mecca), Prophet's Mosque (Medina).
Zoroastrianism: fire temples; the Iranshah Atash Behram at Udvada, Gujarat, holds India's oldest continuously burning sacred fire (consecrated in the 8th century; moved to Udvada in 1742).
Sikhism: Golden Temple (Amritsar).
Baha'i faith: Shrine of the Bab (Haifa).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Christians consider the Church of the Holy Sepulchre their holiest site in Jerusalem.
- ✗Muslims consider the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock sacred.
- ✗Zoroastrians worship in fire temples.
Quick tip
Remember: Wailing Wall (Western Wall, Kotel) = Jews (remnant of Herod's Second Temple complex, destroyed 70 CE); Al-Aqsa and Dome of the Rock = Muslims; Holy Sepulchre = Christians; Udvada = oldest Parsi fire temple in India.
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World GK: Countries, Capitals & Currencies — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of World GK: Countries, Capitals & Currencies, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers world GK: countries with their capitals, currencies and parliaments, national symbols, famous landmarks, the longest, largest and highest features of the world, and international boundary lines such as the Radcliffe, McMahon and Durand Lines. The most common questions match a country with its capital or currency, or a parliament with its name (such as the Knesset of Israel or the Diet of Japan). Revise countries continent by continent, giving extra attention to India's neighbours. Questions on boundary lines usually ask which two countries a line separates. Practise the world GK questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.