Ulam

The vestibule, the first room of the Building as one comes from the courtyard. It is very wide and shallow: only 11 amot from east to west, but 90 from north to south between its walls (100 overall), since it overhangs the body of the Temple by 15 amot on each side. Its façade is banded, not flat: rovadim, horizontal projecting ledges, gird it from bottom to top — one ama of bare wall, then a projecting band three amot high, the topmost one four amot high. No column, no pilaster, no pediment: all the articulation given by the sources is horizontal.

Dimensions

• 11 amot deep (east-west) × 100 wide
• wall of the Ulam 5 amot
• overhang of 15 amot on each side (Beit HaChalifot)
• rovadim: 1 ama bare, band 3 amot high, the upper rovad 4 amot

Sources

• Middot 3:7
• Middot 3:8
• Middot 4:7“כֹּתֶל הָאוּלָם חָמֵשׁ, וְהָאוּלָם אַחַד עָשָׂר… הָאוּלָם עוֹדֵף עָלָיו חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה מִן הַצָּפוֹן, וַחֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה מִן הַדָּרוֹם”
• Rambam, Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 4:5“עֳבִי כֹּתֶל הָאוּלָם חָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת”
• Rambam, Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 4:9“וְכֵן סָבִיב לְכָתְלֵי הָאוּלָם מִלְּמַטָּה עַד לְמַעְלָה… אַמָּה אַחַת חָלָק וְרֹבֶד שָׁלֹשׁ אַמּוֹת… וְרֹבֶד הָעֶלְיוֹן הָיָה רָחְבּוֹ אַרְבַּע”

Project decisionAdopted: no column or pilaster on the façade; no source places any in front of it (Middot 3:7-8 and 4:6-7, Rambam). Yakhin and Boaz, from the First Temple (I Kings 7:21), stand inside the Ulam, on either side of the opening. The tour's reading: the Rambam (Beit HaBechirah 4:9) alternates “מִלְּמַטָּה עַד לְמַעְלָה” one bare ama and a rovad of three amot, of which he gives the “רֹחַב” (width); the tour takes these three amot as the height of the band. Tour's choice: the projection of the bands, which no source gives, set at one ama.