 The Southern wall was designed as a grand entrance.Recent archeological digs have found thousands of "mikvehs" (ceremonial bathtubs) for the ritual purification of the worshipers, and a grand stairway leading to the now blocked entrance.Inside the walls, the platform was supported by a series of vaulted archways, now called Solomon's Stables, which still exist and whose current renovation by the "Waqf" is extremely controversial.