Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem

The article lists the Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem (Hebrew: שערי ירושלים), not including the Gates of the Temple Mount. The gates are visible on most old maps of Jerusalem over the last 1,500 years.

The gates: 1. Jaffa; 2. Zion; 3. Dung; 4. Golden (walled up); 5. Lions; 6. Herod; 7. Damascus; 8. New

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 for instance, Jerusalem had four gates, one on each side. The current walls were built by Suleiman the Magnificent, who provided them with six gates; several older gates, which had been walled up before the arrival of the Ottomans, were left as they were. As to the previously sealed Golden Gate, Suleiman at first opened and rebuilt it, but then walled it up again as well. The number of operational gates increased to seven after the addition of the New Gate in 1887; a smaller eighth one, popularly known as the Tanners' Gate, has been opened for visitors after being discovered and unsealed during excavations in the 1990s. The sealed historic gates comprise four that are at least partially preserved (the double Golden Gate in the eastern wall, and the Single, Triple, and Double Gates in the southern wall), 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]).

Until 1887, each gate was closed before sunset and opened at sunrise. As indicated by the chart below, these gates have been known by a variety of names used in different historical periods and by different communities.

List

English Hebrew Arabic Alternative names Construction Year Location Status Image
New Gate HaSha'ar HeHadash

השער החדש

Al-Bab al-Jedid

الباب الجديد

Gate of Hammid 1887 West part of northern wall Open
Damascus Gate Sha'ar Shkhem

שער שכם

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

Bab al-Sahira

باب الساهرة

Sha'ar Hordos, Flower Gate, Sheep Gate 1875 East part of northern 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, Bab Sittna Maryam (باب ستي مريم, "St. Mary's Gate") 1538–39 North part of eastern wall Open
Excavators' Gate 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 Wall south of Al-Aqsa Mosque Open
Dung Gate Sha'ar HaAshpot

שער האשפות

Bab al-Maghariba

باب المغاربة

Gate of Silwan, Sha'ar HaMugrabim 1538–40 East part of southern wall Open
"Tanners' Gate" Sha'ar HaBursekaim

שער הבורסקאים

12th century East part of southern 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
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
Golden Gate Sha'ar HaRahamim

שער הרחמים

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. 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
Single Gate 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

References

  1. Gülru Necipoğlu (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. Leiden: Brill. 25: 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). The Ophel archaeological garden. Jerusalem: East Jerusalem Development Ltd. p. 20. Thus for all intents and purposes, a ninth gate has been opened in the walls of Jerusalem.
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