 The Western Wall is considered holy due to its connection to the Temple Mount . Because of the status quo policy , the Wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray , though it is not the holiest site in the Jewish faith , which lies behind it . The original , natural and irregular @-@ shaped Temple Mount was gradually extended to allow for an ever larger Temple compound to be built at its top . This process was finalised by Herod the Great , who enclosed the Mount with an almost rectangular set of retaining walls , built to support extensive substructures and earth fills needed to give the natural hill a geometrically regular shape . On top of this box @-@ like structure Herod built a vast paved esplanade which surrounded the Temple . Of the four retaining walls , the western one is considered to be closest to the former Temple , which makes it the most sacred site recognised by Judaism outside the former Temple Mount esplanade . Just over half the wall 's total height , including its 17 courses located below street level , dates from the end of the Second Temple period , and is commonly believed to have been built around 19 BCE by Herod the Great , although recent excavations indicate that the work was not finished by the time Herod died in 4 BCE . The very large stone blocks of the lower courses are Herodian , the courses of medium @-@ sized stones above them were added during the Umayyad era , while the small stones of the uppermost courses are of more recent date , especially from the Ottoman period . 
