Excavations of soil and rock are one of the most important elements in laying the subsurface structures. These excavations usually require excavation support systems that have fundamental influence on the safety, profitability, speed and quality of construction projects. Despite their great importance, most designers and contractors know very little about their design and construction and they rely heavily on experience. The goal of this paper is to present a review of excavation support systems available worldwide and survey of current state of practice in our local area (Nablus, Palestine), including available types, reasons for failure, and methods of design and construction of excavation support systems. This paper also suggested new techniques that may be adopted locally as an excavation support system. Conclusions of this study are presented and recommendations are suggested to identify what research and development should be carried out to improve the process of design and construction of excavation support systems.

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