The Little Western Wall, also known as HaKotel HaKatan (Hebrew: הכותל הקטן) or just Kotel Katan, Kleiner Koisel (Yiddish for "Small Kotel/Wall"), the Small, or Little Kotel, is a Jewish religious site located in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem near the Iron Gate to the Temple Mount.[1] The wall itself dates from the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). It is part of the Western Wall, a retaining wall of the Herodian Temple compound which also contains the by far more famous and larger section known in the West as the Wailing Wall, and almost exactly faces the Holy of Holies.[2] HaKotel HaKatan and its famous counterpart are the only sections of the almost 500 m long Western Wall not covered by houses, but the smaller free-standing section is not as crowded as the larger one.[3] This section of the wall is of deep spiritual significance because of its close proximity to the Holy of Holies. However, it is not the closest location to the Holy of Holies, as there is a location in the Western Wall Tunnel which directly faces the Holy of Holies.[2]
- ^ "Jewish Quarter Jerusalem - Kotel HaKatan". Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
- ^ a b "HaKotel HaKatan - Yeshivat Ateret Kohanim".
- ^ "The New York Times > Travel > Slide Show > Jerusalem, Now". The New York Times.