Alec Garrard's model of the Temple of Herod is a lifelong work

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

78-year-old Briton Alec Garrard devoted more than 30 years of his life to the construction of a huge model of Herod's Temple, which is still incomplete. 33,000 hours were spent building the colossal 20 x 12 foot temple.

Former farmer Alec Garrard admits that he always liked construction, and he was fond of studying religion, so at one point he thought, why not combine his two interests into one. This is how the idea of creating a temple was born. Throughout his long life, the sculptor saw two temples at exhibitions dedicated to biblical themes, but they looked rather pitiful. Alec decided that he could do something similar, but several times better.

Alec Garrard spent about three years researching the temple, which was destroyed by the Romans over 2,000 years ago. The building, richly decorated with gold and silver, was at one time one of the most beautiful structures in the Middle East. Only a fragment of the western section of the outer wall that surrounded the territory of the Temple has survived. This wall, which gives some idea of the size of the Temple and its former splendor, is known as the Wailing Wall. In its prime, the temple covered an area of 36 acres - four times the area of Windsor Castle.

Garrard built his model based on historical sources and research by such a scientist as Dr. Leen Ritmeyer, a former architect who took part in the excavation of the temple. He knows all the top archaeologists from Jerusalem and was also advised by experts from the British Museum. It was only after careful study and research that the Briton set about building a huge model, which is currently located in a room located in his garden. Alec Garrard began work on the project when he was a little over 40 years old, but believes that he is unlikely to have time to finish his masterpiece before the end of his life.

Everything is done by hand. The pensioner carved plywood boards to create the temple walls, handcrafted and painted every clay brick and tile, and sculpted 4,000 tiny human figures to spice up the courtyard. The costumes were also made by the author himself. It takes approximately 3 hours to make each figurine.

Visitors from all over the world flock to see the famous model Alec Garrard, bringing binoculars with them to see even the smallest details of the design.

The sculptor received many offers from wealthy clients who wanted to purchase a model, but the author does not sell it.