A view of the foundation stone of Robinson's Arch and a market area. The original thinking of Robinson's Arch was that when Herod enlarged the area of the Temple Mount during the 1st century BC, the wall was higher in the southern part and a valley was created. This valley separated the Western Wall from the Upper City, making difficult direct access to the Temple Mount. A series of bridges and arches over the valley to the Temple Mount was created to solve this problem. One of these arches, located close to the southern end of the Western Wall, is known as Robinson's Arch. The arch was discovered in 1838 and named after its discoverer, American researcher Edward Robinson.