The Western Wall (Hebrew: הכותל המערבי‎, translit.: HaKotel HaMa’aravi), sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel, is an important Jewish religious site located in the Old City of Jerusalem. Just over half the wall, including its 17 courses located below street level, dates from the end of the Second Temple period, being constructed around 19 BCE by Herod the Great to the Jewish people. The remaining layers were added from the 7th century onwards.