The Wailing Wall, also known as the Western Wall or HaKotel HaMa'aravi, is located in the Old City of Jerusalem on the western side of the Temple Mount. It is an ancient retaining wall that was part of the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple by Herod the Great. The section known as the Wailing Wall is the holiest site where Jews are permitted to pray. It faces a large plaza in the Jewish Quarter near the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount. The Western Wall stretches for about 488 meters, but the Wailing Wall is a prominent segment of it that is exposed and accessible for prayer and pilgrimage. The wall is a significant religious and historical monument, representing the only remaining part of the Second Temple complex destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. The site holds immense spiritual importance for Jewish people worldwide. It is also located near the Muslim Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the area has been subject to ongoing religious and political disputes.