It is the only remains of the retaining wall surrounding the temple mount the site of the first and second temples of jerusalem held to be uniquely holy by the ancient jews.
Temple mount and wailing wall.
Incensed and fearing that the tunnel the israelis began digging starting from the wailing wall and under the temple mount shortly after the war was over was designed to undermine the foundations of al aqsa mosque islam s third holiest site after the mosques in mecca and medina in saudi arabia palestinians and other muslims rioted.
In a broader sense western wall can refer to the entire 488 metre long 1 601 ft retaining wall on the western side of the temple mount.
Jewish people pray at the western wall which is structurally a retaining wall for temple mount.
The western wall aka the wailing wall or the kotel is the most religiously significant site in the world for the jewish people.
The first temple was destroyed by the babylonians in 587 586 bce and the second temple was destroyed by the romans in 70 ce.
The term wailing wall is not used by religious jews and increasingly not by many others who consider it derogatory.
The women of the new roman city built over the ruins of jerusalem were instructed by roman law to take their garbage to the dump daily wall of the old temple site.
For muslims temple mount is also known as the noble sanctuary or haram al sharif.