# The Wailing Wall (DD-673) > The Western Wall (Hebrew HaKotel HaMa'aravi, 'the Kotel') is a limestone wall in Jerusalem's Old City. It's the more common name. 'Wailing Wall' comes from European descriptions of Jews mourning the Temple's destruction there, and in Arabic it's called al-Buraq Wall. The wall isn't part of the Temple building. It's a stretch of the western retaining wall that Herod the Great built, starting around 19 BCE, when he enlarged the platform of the Temple Mount. The Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 CE, but the retaining wall survived. The full wall is about 488 m long, with roughly 19 m exposed above the prayer plaza. The lowest visible courses are Herodian, and the upper layers were added in later periods. Because of restrictions on prayer on the Temple Mount itself, the Wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray. The site sits beside the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif compound, which is also sacred to Muslims, and it's religiously and politically sensitive. - Department: Locations (also History) - First published: 2025-11-19 - Last updated: 2025-11-19 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-wailing-wall/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## On the timeline - **around 19 BCE**: Herod the Great begins enlarging the Temple Mount platform, with its western retaining wall - **70 CE**: Roman forces destroy the Second Temple; the retaining walls largely survive Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=the-wailing-wall ## Quick facts - **DD-673-F01**: The Western Wall is part of the retaining wall Herod built around the Temple Mount. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (A retaining wall, not the Temple))_ - **DD-673-F02**: Herod's Temple Mount expansion began around 19 BCE. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (A retaining wall, not the Temple))_ ## Write-up Not the Temple, its retaining wall. Jerusalem's Western Wall dates to Herod's expansion, about 19 BCE. 1. **Names**: Western Wall (HaKotel HaMa'aravi, or simply 'the Kotel') is the usual name in Hebrew and English. 'Wailing Wall' comes from European travelers' accounts of mourning prayers, and the Arabic name is al-Buraq Wall. 2. **A retaining wall, not the Temple**: The Wall is part of the western retaining wall of the enlarged Temple Mount platform that Herod the Great began around 19 BCE. The Temple itself stood on the platform above. 3. **Destroyed and survived**: Roman forces destroyed the Second Temple in 70 CE, during the First Jewish-Roman War. The massive retaining walls of the platform largely survived. 4. **Layers of history**: The full wall is about 488 m long, and about 19 m is exposed above the plaza. The lower above-ground courses are Herodian ashlars, with smaller stones added in later periods. 5. **A place of prayer**: Because prayer on the Temple Mount itself is restricted, the Wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray. Visitors traditionally tuck written prayers into its cracks. The adjoining compound is also sacred to Muslims. ## Related case files - [The White Temple (DD-042)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-white-temple/): Another religious landmark - [The Chronicles of Georgia (DD-028)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/chronicles-of-georgia/): Another landmark layered with history - [The Great Wall (DD-111)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-great-wall/): I paired it with another historic wall - [The Land of Israel (DD-206)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-land-of-israel/): I linked more about Jerusalem - [The Kaaba (DD-655)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-kaaba/): Another sacred site at the center of a faith's worship - [Anti-Defamation League (DD-674)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/anti-defamation-league/): Another case touching on Jewish history - [Arch of Titus (DD-690)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/arch-of-titus/): Another case about the Second Temple, destroyed by Roman forces in 70 CE ## Reel vs. record - **Not the Temple itself**: the Wall isn't 'a section of the Second Temple'. It's part of the retaining wall around Herod's enlarged Temple Mount platform, as the Reel's own next sentence says. - **Name**: 'Western Wall' (Hebrew HaKotel HaMa'aravi, 'the Kotel') is the more common name. 'Wailing Wall' is an older European name, and in Arabic it's al-Buraq Wall. - **Missing date**: Herod the Great began the Temple Mount expansion that produced this wall around 19 BCE, about 90 years before the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 CE. - **Scale and layers**: the full western wall runs about 488 m, and about 19 m is exposed above the plaza. Only the lower courses are Herodian; the upper layers came later. - **Missing context**: the Wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray, because prayer on the Temple Mount above is restricted. The adjoining compound (Haram al-Sharif) is also holy to Muslims. ## Video: The Wailing Wall: Not the Temple, Its Retaining Wall - Duration: 25.2 s · Published: 2025-11-19 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DRP-5RLErT8.mp4 ### Transcript DID YOU KNOW? The Wailing Wall or Western Wall is a historical and religious landmark in Jerusalem, representing the last surviving section of the Second Jewish Temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Originally part of the massive retaining walls that surrounded the Temple Mount, it has stood for nearly two millennia as a silent witness to Jerusalem's turbulent history, including periods of conquest, exile, and rebuilding. For centuries, Jews have gathered at the wall to mourn the Temple's destruction. NOW YOU KNOW! ## Questions & answers **Q: What is the more common name for the Wailing Wall?** A: The Western Wall, or 'the Kotel'. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Names) · Wikipedia: Western Wall; Encyclopaedia Britannica: Western Wall)_ **Q: What was the Wall originally part of?** A: It's part of Herod's retaining wall around the Temple Mount. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (A retaining wall, not the Temple) · Wikipedia: Western Wall; Encyclopaedia Britannica: Western Wall)_ **Q: Who began building the wall around 19 BCE?** A: Herod the Great. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (A retaining wall, not the Temple) · Wikipedia: Western Wall; Encyclopaedia Britannica: Western Wall)_ **Q: In what year did the Romans destroy the Second Temple?** A: 70 CE. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Destroyed and survived) · Wikipedia: Western Wall; Encyclopaedia Britannica: Western Wall)_ **Q: About how long is the full western wall?** A: About 488 m. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Layers of history) · Wikipedia: Western Wall; The Western Wall Heritage Foundation)_ ## Sources - [Wikipedia: Western Wall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Wall) - [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Western Wall](https://www.britannica.com/place/Western-Wall) - [The Western Wall Heritage Foundation](https://english.thekotel.org/) ## Cite this case file Easterling, Marcus. "The Wailing Wall." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-673, last updated Nov 19, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-wailing-wall/