>>518570077
>whats opposite the eastern gate? what closest to that right now?
The Eastern Gate (the Golden Gate) opens east across the Kidron Valley toward the Mount of Olives.
Right now the thing immediately opposite the gate is the Muslim cemetery that covers the slope of the Mount of Olives.

And no, it isn't part of the original temple that was wholly destroyed.

>King Herod began building the Western Wall as a retaining wall to expand the Second Temple complex around 20 BCE, but the project was not completed during his lifetime and was finished later.

>The wall survived the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and has remained a significant site, with parts of it now visible to the public after excavations uncovered additional sections