Western Wall (redirected from Hakotel)

Western Wall

 or Wailing Wall

Place of prayer in the Old City of Jerusalem sacred to the Jewish people. It is the only remnant of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. Because it now forms part of a larger area—known as the Temple Mount by Jews and as al-Haram al-Sharif by Muslims—surrounding the Muslim Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque, the two groups have often vied for control of it. When Israel captured the Old City in the Six-Day War (1967), the Jews once more gained authority over the site.