During the British Mandate, the British administration initially tried to help Jews purchase a plot of land near the wall, or at least safely organize prayers and ceremonies.
However, due to Muslims' adamant opposition the British authorities often had to to take sides with them. The hostilities between Jews and Arabs at the Wall led to clashes and even bloodshed.
During Israel's War of Independence in 1948, the entire Old City, together with the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, was occupied by Jordan.
For the next nineteen years, neither Israeli Arabs nor Israeli Jews were allowed to visit their holy sites in Jordanian territories.
On June 7th, 1967, during the battles for Jerusalem in the Six-Day War, Israeli forces occupied the entire Old City and seized the Western Wall. Within forty-eight hours of the Wall's capture by the army the entire area in front of it was completely cleared.
The 140-square-meter narrow paved area, once designated by Muslims for the Jews to pray, has now become the vast area of the Western Wall Plaza extending over more than 20,000 square meters.
It can now accommodate up to 400,000 people.
People offering prayers near the Western Wall can be seen at any time of the day.
Jews from Israel and Jews from across the Diaspora come to the wall.
Religious Jews all over the world are praying in the direction of the Western Wall.
The tradition of notes with requests and prayers that are put into cracks of the Western Wall started more than 300 years ago.
The earliest description of this tradition dates back to the beginning of the 18th century. Now more than a million notes are put in between the stones of the Western Wall annually.
This has become a tradition not only among tourists from across the globe, but also among world's biggest celebrities, including presidents, royalty and the Pope.
There are notes written in almost any possible language or format without exception. According to Jewish law, prayer notes cannot be thrown away, instead they need to be periodically collected and buried in a specially designated area.