A stone fell into the Western Wall prayer plaza from an ancient building early Sunday morning, no one was hurt. The building from which the stone fell, named the "Mahkame," was constructed about 700 years ago by the Mamluks and was used for hundreds of years as a court and governmental complex. Currently, the building serves as a Border Police base that overlooks the prayer plaza. Due to the unusual incident, the area where the stone fell has been cordoned off. The incident was investigated and is being tended to by members of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and the Israel Antiquities Authority who are assessing the situation. An initial inquiry found that due to a leak in the roof of the Mahkame building, there was a build-up of pressure on the stones and bonding agent between them which caused one of them to fall. Engineers from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation clarified that there is no threat to the safety of visitors at the Western Wall plaza and they are working to seal the leaking roof and replace the bonding agent, as well as carrying out a thorough inspection of the building's stones. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation stated that it "conducts professional inspections of the Western Wall's stones regularly. The most recent inspection was conducted before the last Passover and it was found to be in order. The inspections are conducted twice a year by engineers and the Antiquities Authority to inspect the stones' stability and strength. A crane carrying engineers and professionals is brought before the fall holidays and Passover and they inspect the stones."
