Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem

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This article lists the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. The gates are visible on most old maps of Jerusalem over the last 1,500 years.

Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem: 1. Jaffa
2. Zion
3. Dung
4. Golden (walled up)
5. Lions
6. Herod
7. Damascus
8. New Gate
Quarters:
  Jewish
  Muslim

During different periods, the city walls followed different outlines and had a varying number of gates. During the era of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099–1291), Jerusalem had four gates, one on each side.[citation needed]

The current walls of the Old City of Jerusalem were built between 1533 and 1540 on orders of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who provided them with seven gates: six new gates were built, and the older and previously sealed Golden Gate was reopened (only to be re-sealed again after a few years). The seven gates at the time of Suleiman were, clockwise and by their current name: the Damascus Gate; Herod's Gate; Lions' Gate; Golden Gate; Dung Gate; Zion Gate; and Jaffa Gate.

With the re-sealing of the Golden Gate by Suleiman, the number of operational gates was only brought back to seven in 1887, with the addition of the New Gate.

Until 1887,[citation needed] each gate was closed before sunset and opened at sunrise.

List

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The seven gates at the time of Suleiman were: Damascus Gate; Golden Gate; Herod's Gate; Jaffa Gate; Lions' Gate; Silwan Gate (also known as Mughrabi Gate, and now as Dung Gate); and Zion Gate. After the re-sealing of the Golden Gate already in Suleiman's time, the number of operational gates was only brought back to seven with the addition of the New Gate in 1887.

English Hebrew Arabic Alternative names Construction year Location Status Image
Golden Gate Sha'ar HaRahamim

שער הרחמים

"Gate Of Mercy"

Bab al-Dhahabi / al-Zahabi, "Golden Gate"

باب الذهبي

A double gate, last sealed in 1541. In Arabic also known as the Gate of Eternal Life.[citation needed] In Arabic each door has its own name:
  • Gate of Mercy, Bab al-Rahma (باب الرحمة) – the southern door
  • Gate of Repentance, Bab al-Taubah (باب التوبة) – the northern door
6th century Northern third of eastern side Sealed  
Damascus Gate Sha'ar Shkhem

שער שכם

"Nablus Gate"

Bab al-Amoud

باب العمود

Sha'ar Damesek, Nablus Gate, Gate of the Pillar 1537 Middle of northern wall Open  
Herod's Gate Sha'ar HaPerachim

שער הפרחים

"Gate Of The Flowers"

Bab al-Sahira

باب الساهرة

Sha'ar Hordos, Flower Gate, Sheep Gate 1537; greatly expanded in 1875 East part of northern wall Open  
Dung Gate / Silwan Gate / Maghrabi Gate Sha'ar HaAshpot

שער האשפות

"Gate Of Trash"

Bab al-Maghariba

باب المغاربة

Gate of Silwan, Sha'ar HaMugrabim 1538–40 East part of southern wall Open  
Lions' Gate Sha'ar HaArayot

שער האריות

Bab al-Asbatt

باب الأسباط

Gate of Yehoshafat,

St. Stephen's Gate, Gate of the Tribes, St. Mary's Gate (باب ستي مريم, Bab Sittna Maryam)

1538–39 North part of eastern wall Open  
Jaffa Gate Sha'ar Yafo

שער יפו

Bab al-Khalil

باب الخليل

The Gate of David's Prayer Shrine,

Porta Davidi

1530–40 Middle of western wall Open  
Zion Gate Sha'ar Tzion

שער ציון

Bab al-Nabi Da'oud

باب النبي داود

Gate to the Jewish Quarter 1540 Middle of southern wall Open  
New Gate HaSha'ar HeHadash

השער החדש

Al-Bab al-Jedid

الباب الجديد

Gate of Hammid 1887 West part of northern wall Open  

Previous gates

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A smaller entrance, popularly known as the Tanners' Gate,[citation needed] has been opened for visitors after being discovered and unsealed during excavations in the 1990s.[citation needed]

Sealed historic gates, other than the Golden Gate, comprise three that are at least partially preserved (the Single, Triple, and Double Gates in the southern wall),[citation needed] with several other gates discovered by archaeologists of which only traces remain (the so-called Gate of the Essenes on Mount Zion, the gate of Herod's royal palace south of the citadel, and the vague remains of what 19th-century explorers identified as the Gate of the Funerals (Bab al-Jana'iz) or of al-Buraq (Bab al-Buraq) south of the Golden Gate).[1]

English Hebrew Arabic Alternative names Construction year Location Status Image
"Tanners' Gate" [citation needed] Sha'ar HaBursekaim

שער הבורסקאים

12th century [citation needed] East part of southern wall Open  
Excavators' Gate [citation needed] Excavation Gate. (Eastern gate of the main Umayyad palace, attributed to Caliph Al-Walid I (705–715). Destroyed by an earthquake around 749, walled up when the Ottoman wall was built (1537–41), reopened and rebuilt by archaeologists led by Benjamin Mazar and Meir Ben-Dov in 1968.)[2][3] 705–715, 1968 [citation needed] Wall south of Al-Aqsa Mosque Open
Single Gate [citation needed] This gate led to the underground area of the Temple Mount known as Solomon's Stables Herodian period Southern wall of Temple Mount Sealed  
Huldah Gates Sha'arei Chulda

שערי חולדה

Two gates:
  • The Triple Gate, as it comprises three arches. Also known as Bab an-Nabi (باب النبي, "Gate of the Prophet Muhammad")
  • The Double Gate, two arches, partially hidden from view by mediaeval building
Herodian period Southern wall of Temple Mount Sealed  

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Necipoğlu, Gülru (2008). "The Dome of the Rock as a palimpsest: 'Abd al-Malik's grand narrative and Sultan Süleyman's glosses" (PDF). Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic. 25. Leiden: Brill: 20–21. ISBN 9789004173279. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  2. ^ "The Function and Plan of the 'Palaces'". The Jerusalem Archaeological Park – Davidson Center. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  3. ^ Meir Ben-Dov (1987). The Excavation Gate (18). Jerusalem: East Jerusalem Development Ltd. p. 20. Thus for all intents and purposes, a ninth gate has been opened in the walls of Jerusalem. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)