Close to Collapse
Image idea: close-up of cracked or blackened stone.
By the 2010s, experts were worried. Damp was rising from below, the mortar was crumbling, and smoke from candles had covered the stone in black soot.
In 2015, Israeli authorities briefly closed the shrine over safety fears. It was clear that the problem could not wait any longer.
The shrine was carrying a heavy load on weak ground. Experts warned that if nothing was done, it could one day give way without much warning.