The Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem
A Brief History of the Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem
Introduction
The seven gates to the Old City can sometimes feel like many more than that, because they go by different names in various languages. Even in one language, some gates have multiple names.
Throughout history, the city walls followed different outlines and had a varying number of gates providing portals into the walled city. Archaeologists think that King Solomon first built defensive walls around Jerusalem over 3,000 years ago. The walls that are currently standing were built by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent between 1537-1542. They surround Jerusalem’s Old City and contain 34 towers and 8 gates; 7 of the gates are currently open. They lead to the Christian Quarter, Jewish Quarter, Armenian Quarter, and Jewish Quarter.
This article will serve as a quick guide for the perplexed.
Overview
The Old City of Jerusalem covers about 0.35 square miles (0.9 square kilometers) or approximately 220 acres, and is approximately shaped like a quadrilateral with sides extending for 3,000 feet (900 meters).[1] The gates are the portals or entry passages into the walled space.
The number of gates has varied over time. The seven gates at the time of Solomon were:
Damascus Gate
Golden (Eastern) Gate
Herod's Gate
Jaffa Gate
Lions' Gate
Dung Gate
Zion Gate
During the Crusader Period (1099–1291), there were just four gates, one on each side of the city.
Jaffa Gate (West)
Damascus Gate (North)
Golden (Eastern) Gate (East)
Zion Gate (South)
From 1535 to 1542, the Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent restored and rebuilt the crumbling Old City walls to protect the city from a feared Crusader invasion.[2] Suleiman provided them with seven gates: three new gates were rebuilt, four gates were restored, and the older, previously sealed Golden Gate was reopened (only to be re-sealed in 1541 AD):
Jaffa Gate (Restored)
Damascus Gate (Restored)
Golden (Eastern) Gate (Restored then reclosed the Eastern Gate in 1541 AD)
Zion Gate (Restored)
Dung Gate (Rebuilt)
Lions' Gate (Rebuilt)
Herod's Gate (Rebuilt)
In modern times (1875-1889), two additional gates were opened into the city walls.
Herod's Gate - Expanded in 1875
New Gate - 1889
Each gate has openings in the wall above it that enable the release of “weapons” such as boiling liquids, arrows, or stones to be aimed at the attackers below. Some of the gates are shaped like an "L," designed to slow attackers attempting to enter the city. Until 1887, each gate was closed before sunset and opened at sunrise.
The Bible records various uses of city gates. At the gates, people finalized business deals (Genesis 23), arranged marriages (Ruth 4), and settled disputes in the presence of witnesses (Amos 5). The king used gates to address his subjects (2 Samuel 18).
Many of the gates are named after the location or destination they led toward.
Jaffa Gate (The Gate of David’s Prayer Shrine)
Quick Facts
Hebrew: Sha'ar Yafo (שער יפו)
Arabic: Bab al-Khalil (باب الخليل)
Alternate Names: The Gate of David's Prayer Shrine, Porta Davidi, Hebron Gate
Constructed / Restored: 140 BC, 1530-1540
Location: Middle of the western wall
Status: Open
Details
Jaffa Gate (also called Hebron Gate, which is its Arabic name Bab al-Khalil [also meaning Gate of the Friend]) is located in the middle of the Western Wall of the city and faces Bethlehem and Hebron to the south and Jaffa to the west. Hence, its various names. The road leading westward away from this gate and the city led to Jaffa (or Joppa), a major port city; hence its name, Jaffa Road.
In Arabic, this gate is also sometimes called Bab Mihrab Da’ud (Gate of the Prayer Niche of David). The Tower of David, an ancient citadel first built in the second century, stands nearby.
The gate as it stands today was rebuilt in 1538 by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Great over the previous gate, which dates back to the time of the Hasmoneans around 140 BC. Jaffa Gate is the second largest of the gates.
Dignitaries and conquerors alike used this gate. But so did people arriving by horse carriage, bus, or railway; the gate was conveniently located near transportation hubs. When the railroad was built in the early 20th century, this route became a major one for pilgrims visiting the Holy City. In the second half of the 19th century, catering to this traffic, a host of services — markets, hotels, coffee shops, photography shops, other businesses — was located just outside Jaffa Gate.
Facing due west, the Jaffa Gate is the best-known and busiest of the gates of Jerusalem. It is the only gate on the western side of the Old City. Today, it is the primary vehicle entry point into the Old City and one of only two gates in Jerusalem that allow vehicle access.
Inside Jaffa Gate was the citadel, from where the governor of Jerusalem ruled. Entering the gate, the Armenian Quarter lies to the right and the Christian Quarter to the left; the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is nearby.[3]
In 1898, the low-lying section of wall next to Jaffa Gate was opened, that section of the Crusader moat was filled, and a road was paved to allow the entourage of the visiting German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, to enter the city comfortably and in style with his vehicle escorts.[4]
In 1907, a 25-meter high clock tower of white limestone was built atop the gate, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Sultan Abdul Hamid II’s accension to power.[5] However, the British later dismantled it.
In 1917, this was the gate through which the conquering British army led by General Allenby entered the city and declared its military occupation of it.
In 1948, the Haganah fought hard to try and take this gate, which would have connected the Old City and the Jewish Quarter therein to the western side of the city that they held, but they failed. This gate remained in the Jordanian-held side of the city until 1967. There are many bullet holes in the face of the gate due to wars before and during the Six-Day War in 1967.
Zion Gate (Gate to the Jewish Quarter)
Quick Facts
Hebrew: Sha'ar Tzion (שער ציון)
Arabic: Bab al-Nabi Da'oud (باب النبي داود)
Alternate Names: Gate to the Jewish Quarter
Constructed / Restored: 1540
Location: Middle of the southern wall
Status: Open
Details
Zion Gate/Bab Haret al-Yahud (Arabic for the Gate of the Jews’ Quarter), built in 1540, is located in the southwestern part of the wall. It is also called in Arabic Bab al-Nabi Da’ud (Gate of the Prophet David) because of the traditional location of David’s tomb on Mt. Zion. During the medieval period, it was called the Gate of the Jewish Quarter.
Leaving the city, Zion Gate provides access to Mount Zion, thereby giving the gate its name. Entering the city, Zion Gate leads straight into the Armenian Quarter, but also provides access to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. The gate is high and large compared to other gates.
The gate was rebuilt over previous ones by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1540. Walls near the Zion Gate date from the Hasmonean and Herodian periods of the history of Jerusalem. In the second half of the 19th century, a leper colony, livestock market, and slaughterhouse were located near the gate.[6]
Like some other gates of Jerusalem, the Zion Gate was built with an L-shaped internal structure to slow down would-be attackers. It has many bullet holes and damage from the 1947 and 1967 wars fought in this area. It still bears the visible scars of the 1948 War, when the Palmach forces dynamited it during their failed attempts to conquer the Old City and liberate the besieged Jews who were trapped in the Jewish Quarter.[7] Ultimately, they retreated and the Old City remained on the Jordanian side of the city until the 1967 War.
One window on each side of the gate lend its distinguishable characteristic. It can support both foot and vehicle traffic, however, vehicles can only exit through the gate, not enter.
Dung Gate (Silwan Gate, Maghrabi Gate)
Quick Facts
Hebrew: Sha'ar HaAshpot (שער האשפות), "Gate Of Trash"
Arabic: Bab al-Maghariba (باب المغاربة)
Alternate Names: Gate of Silwan, Sha'ar HaMugrabim, Gate of the Moors, Moroccan Gate
Constructed / Restored: 1538-1540
Location: East part of the southern wall
Status: Open
Details
The southeast end of the Old City is accessed through the Dung Gate (also called Silwan Gate, since it faces the Palestinian neighborhood (formerly village) of SIlwan to the city’s south, or in Arabic, Bab al-Maghariba [The Moroccan Gate or Gate of the Moors]). Considered the back door of the Old City, this gate, built 1540–41, provided access to the Old City’s Jewish and Maghariba (Moroccan) Quarters; the latter was destroyed within days of the 1967 War to enlarge the Jewish Quarter.
Of all the gates of Jerusalem, the Dung Gate has unquestionably the most interesting name, and for obvious reasons. The Dung Gate derives its name from the fact that refuse and ash were escorted out of the city through this gate and dumped in the Hinnom Valley.[8] It was a gate for trash from not only the Old City but also the Temple Mount.
The prophet Nehemiah mentioned the Dung Gate when he surveyed the ruined city of Jerusalem in 445 B.C.! (Nehemiah 2:13)
Like most of Jerusalem's other gates, the present gate was built by Suleiman around 1538 AD. It is the smallest, possessing the lowest archway, and is built into the south walls. To the west of the gate, part of the original Cardo Minor Roman Emperor Hadrian, built in 135 AD, can be seen. It is the only gate without much defense abilities. This was so because of its location.
The Dung Gates is also known as the Gate of the Moors because of the North African immigrants who lived in a neighborhood next to the gate in the 16th century.
The Dung Gate only allowed foot traffic until 1967, when the opening was enlarged. Today, it's the closest and most used gate to the Western Wall and is the main passageway for vehicles coming out of the Old City and for buses going to the Western Wall. Also inside the gate is the Jerusalem Archeological Park, also known as the Ophel Garden, which has “open-air exhibits of archeological and architectural finds from all eras of Jerusalem [that] include the remains of some previously unrecognized early Islamic edifices.”[9]
Golden Gate (Eastern Gate)
Quick Facts
Hebrew: Sha'ar HaRahamim (שער הרחמים) “Gate Of Mercy”
Arabic: Bab al-Dhahabi / al-Zahabi, "Golden Gate" (باب الذهبي)
Alternate Names: 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: (1) Gate of Mercy, Bab al-Rahma (باب الرحمة) – the southern door; (2) Gate of Repentance, Bab al-Taubah (باب التوبة) – the northern door
Constructed / Restored: 6th Century
Location: Northern third of the eastern side
Status: Sealed
Details
The Golden Gate was located along Jerusalem's eastern walls, facing east towards rising sun, the Kidron Valley and Mount of Olives. It is the closest gate to the Temple Mount and, as such, has taken on special significance throughout Jerusalem's history. The Jewish Temple faced and opened to the east.
The Golden Gate is the oldest in Jerusalem, and scholars and archaeologists debate its exact timeline. Ancient stones at the base of the wall strongly suggest it dates to the time of Solomon or Hezekiah (950-700 BC). The Golden Gate was closed by Muslims in 810 AD, reopened in 1102 AD by the Crusaders, and sealed again by Saladin in 1187 AD. Then in 1541 Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt the Old City walls – including the Golden Gate. He once again sealed the gate, and it has been closed until present day.[10]
This gate is believed by Muslims and Christians to be the last gate Jesus used to enter Jerusalem en route to his crucifixion, and by Jews to be the gate through which the Messiah will enter Jerusalem (whereupon it will supernaturally open). Muslims also believe this is the gate through which the just will pass on the Day of Judgment.
The gate is linked to many biblical prophecies concerning the Messiah's entrance through it (Ezekiel 44:1-3; Zechariah 14:3-4; Revelation 1:7, 19:11-16). The Eastern Gate of Jerusalem is sealed due to religious beliefs. Jews think the Messiah is going to come through the East Gate. Christians believe Jesus is going to return through it. And Muslims believe that on the Last Day the righteous will pass into paradise through the Eastern Gate.
Throughout history Muslim leaders have closed the Golden Gate to prevent the return of the Jewish Messiah. Outside the wall at this gate is the large Muslim cemetery called Bab al-Rahma cemetery, and the Yusufiyya cemetery is an extension of it. The Muslims established this cemetery in front of it, thinking this would stop the Messiah from entering through it in the future, because a devout Jewish man would never step foot in a Muslim cemetery. But Jesus is not afraid of a Muslim cemetery because He has already conquered death, Hell and the grave!
Lions’ Gate (St. Stephen’s Gate, Gate of the Tribes, St. Mary’s Gate)
Quick Facts
Hebrew: Sha'ar HaArayot (שער האריות)
Arabic: Bab al-Asbatt (باب الأسباط)
Alternate Names: Sheep Gate, Jericho Gate, Gate of Yehoshafat, St. Stephen's Gate, Gate of the Tribes, St. Mary's Gate (باب ستي مريم, Bab Sittna Maryam)
Constructed / Restored: 1538-1539
Location: North part of the eastern wall
Status: Open
Details
Facing the Kidron Valley and Mount of Olives, the Lion’s Gate is the eastern entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem next to al-Ghazali Square. This ancient gate goes by many names. Another Arabic name, Bab Sittna Maryam (Gate of Our Lady Mary), refers to the gate’s proximity to the Hannah Church, where Christians believe the Virgin Mary was born.[11] Coptic Christians refer to it as St. Stephen’s Gate after the legend that the first Christian martyr, Saint Stephen, was stoned to death outside this gate, although accounts vary. (The Damascus Gate is the likeliest site of Stephen's martyrdom.) Jerusalemites call it Sheep Gate or Jericho Gate.[12]
Like many of Jerusalem's gates, it was built by the Ottomans in 1538-39 AD[13] along the same stretch of walls as the Golden Gate. It leads directly to the Muslim Quarter and is the closest gate to al-Aqsa Mosque. This gate also serves as the main access point outward from the Old City to the two main Muslim cemeteries outside the walls, the northern Bab al-Rahma cemetery and the southern Yusufiyya cemetery. And heading inwards into the Old City, it is the main entrance through which Muslims enter the al-Aqsa compound to pray in the al-Aqsa Mosque.[14]
Four lions decorate the gate's facade, lending the gate its name. Carved into the wall above the gate are four lions, two on the left and two on the right. (One source claims that they are in fact leopards but are often mistaken for lions.)[15] Sultan Suleiman “had the carving made to celebrate the Ottoman defeat of the Mamluks in 1517. Legend has it that Suleiman’s predecessor and father, Selim I, dreamed of lions that were going to eat him because of his plans to level the city. He was spared only after promising to protect the city by building a wall around it. This led to the lion becoming the heraldic symbol of Jerusalem.”[16]
The gate was originally built with an L-shaped structure, similar to the other Ottoman gates of Jerusalem. However, this L-shaped structure was later altered to allow vehicle access.
The photo below gives a closer look at one of the two pairs of lions that stand on either side of the Lions’ Gate arch.
Herod’s Gate (Sheep Gate, Flower Gate)
Quick Facts
Hebrew: Sha'ar HaPerachim (שער הפרחים), “Gate Of The Flowers”
Arabic: Bab al-Sahira (باب الساهرة)
Alternate Names: Sha'ar Hordos, Flower Gate, Sheep Gate
Constructed / Restored: 1537; greatly expanded in 1875
Location: East part of the northern wall
Status: Open
Details
Herod’s Gate bears this name because it was once believed to have led to a structure erroneously identified by Christians as Herod Antipas' Palace.[17] Despite the error, the name stuck.
Herod’s Gate leads to the neighborhoods of al-Sa‘diyya and Bab Hitta in the Muslim Quarter, and connects it to the Bab al-Zahra neighborhood outside the wall. The Jewish and Muslim communities know the gate as the Flower Gate, which derives from the Islamic floral designs in its architecture.[18]
It is located in the northern wall, to the east of the Damascus Gate. Herod's Gate leads into the Muslim Quarter, which provides Muslims with direct access to the Temple Mount.
The gate, as it stands today, was expanded in 1875 making it the newest gate of the city. Its main purpose before 1875 was to relieve traffic flow in the city's northern part.
The gate was built with an internal L-shaped structure, like many of the other gates of Jerusalem. The Crusaders broke through the wall in this area to capture the city.
The photograph below show a closer view of the flowers detail on the interior side of Herod’s Gate, giving it its Arabic name, Bab al-Zahra (Gate of Flowers).
Damascus Gate (Nablus Gate, Gate of the Pillar (Column), Shechem Gate)
Quick Facts
Hebrew: Sha'ar Shkhem (שער שכם), “Nablus Gate)”
Arabic: Bab al-Amoud (باب العمود)
Alternate Names: Sha'ar Damesek, Shechem Gate, Nablus Gate, Gate of the Pillar
Constructed / Restored: 41 AD, 135 AD, 1537
Location: Middle of the northern wall
Status: Open
Details
The Damascus Gate is located on the northern side of the Old City walls, facing due north to Shechem and beyond to Damascus. It is the largest and arguably the most magnificent of the gates, and it stands at the lowest geographic point in the Old City. The gate is one of the highest in the city because the northern part of the city was the most vulnerable to attacks due to the slope of the terrain. It was built in a double "L" shape to slow down would-be attackers.
It is the busiest of Jerusalem's gates, and many claim the most splendid. On Fridays and Saturdays, markets and bazaars make this one of the busiest parts of the city. Directly inside the gate is the Muslim Quarter, which serves as the Old City's Arab business center. Arabs mainly use the gate today.
Souq Khan al-Zeit (the olive oil market) is the liveliest part of the Old City, and it runs down the middle. Halfway down the main street is the Via Dolorosa.[19]
Historical records indicate that the gate was originally built by Herod Agrippa I in 41 AD and was then rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian during his reign. The structure was restored once again during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent who completed the Damascus Gate between 1537 and 1542. The Ottoman court architect Sinan is said to have personally designed this gate.[20] It was built over previous gate ruins dating back to the time of Roman Emperor Hadrian. It was the beginning point of the Cardo Street, which the Roman Emperor Hadrian built around 135 AD. Part of the original gate Hadrian built can be seen to the left and below the newer gate. Ruins from previous gates can also be seen here. The gate Hadrian built was magnificent, with three arches. However, today, only the smaller, eastern arch remains.
The Arabic name means Gate of the Pillar, which derives from the Roman and Byzantine period when a tall pillar stood in the middle of the plaza outside the original gate. This was a Roman victory column topped by the image of Emperor Hadrian.[21] The pillar served as the zero point for measuring the distance between Jerusalem and other nearby cities.
Damascus Gate (Bab al-Amoud) is the only gate that retained its original name during the Ottoman reconstruction of the wall.[22] This gate is also sometimes called Bab al-Nasr in Arabic (Gate of Victory).
During the Byzantine period (324 - 638 AD), it was known as St. Stephen's Gate (although the Lions' Gate is also known as such). Christian tradition claims Stephen was drug out of the city through this gate and stoned on the other side of today's road, becoming the first martyr. Of the two gates of Jerusalem known as St. Stephen's Gate, Damascus Gate is the most likely sight of Stephen's stoning.
New Gate (Gate of Hammid)
Quick Facts
Hebrew: HaSha'ar HeHadash (השער החדש)
Arabic: Al-Bab al-Jedid (الباب الجديد)
Alternate Names: Gate of Hammid
Constructed / Restored: 1887
Location: West part of the northern wall
Status: Open
Details
A gate on the northwestern side, the New Gate (Bab al-Jadid), was opened in 1889 to create access between the Christian Quarter and new neighborhoods being established beyond the Old City walls. It was built in 1887, during the rule of Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid II and with his permission, at the request of European powers and Christian institutions, to make it easier to access the burgeoning New City neighborhoods just outside the walls, such as Musrara, from the Christian Quarter; the New Gate was intended to reduce traffic at the other gates.
The Notre Dame de France, the most prominent Catholic landmark in the city, is across the street from this gate.
The New Gate is the simplest and least adorned of the gates of Jerusalem.
Previous (Historic) Gates
These gates are not included as one of the main eight gates of the Old City of Jerusalem.
A smaller entrance, popularly known as the Tanners' Gate, has been opened for visitors after being discovered and unsealed during excavations in the 1990s. 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), 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).
Tanners’ Gate
Quick Facts
Hebrew: Sha'ar HaBursekaim (שער הבורסקאים)
Arabic:
Alternate Names:
Constructed / Restored: 12th Century
Location: East part of the southern wall
Status: Open
Details
Tanners’ Gate was a small side entrance a short distance west of the Dung Gate, directlyover the Cardo Minor Roman Emperor Hadrian, built in 135 AD. It was used to access animal purchases for sacrifices at the temple.
It was named the "Tanners' Gate" because of those who tanned the hides of the animals slaughtered for temple sacrifices.
Excavators’ Gate
Quick Facts
Hebrew:
Arabic:
Alternate Names: Excavation Gate, Eastern gate of the main Umayyad palace, attributed to Caliph Al-Walid I (705–715).
Constructed / Restored: 705-715 BC, 1968
Location: Wall south of Al-Aqsa Mosque
Status: Open
Details
The original Excavators’ Gate was destroyed by an earthquake around 749 and then walled up when the Ottoman wall was built (1537–41). The gate was reopened and rebuilt by archaeologists led by Benjamin Mazar and Meir Ben-Dov in 1968.
Single Gate
Quick Facts
Hebrew:
Arabic:
Alternate Names:
Constructed / Restored: Herodian Period
Location: Southern wall of the Temple Mount
Status: Sealed
Details
This gate led to the underground area of the Temple Mount known as Solomon's Stables.
Huldah Gates
Quick Facts
Hebrew: Sha'arei Chulda (שערי חולדה)
Arabic:
Alternate Names: Two gates: (1) The Triple Gate, as it comprises three arches. Also known as Bab an-Nabi (باب النبي, "Gate of the Prophet Muhammad"); (2) The Double Gate, two arches, partially hidden from view by mediaeval building.
Constructed / Restored: Herodian Period
Location: Southern wall of the Temple Mount
Status: Sealed
Details
The Huldah Gates were one of the Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem leading into the Jerusalem Temple compound in the Hasmonean period and were named as such in the Mishnah.[23] The term is currently being used for the remains of two later sets of gates, the Triple Gate and the Double Gate, known together as the Huldah Gates,[24] built as part of the much extended Herodian Temple Mount, situated in Jerusalem's Old City.[25] Both sets of gates were set into the Southern Wall of the Temple compound and gave access to the Temple Mount esplanade by means of underground vaulted ramps.[26] Both were walled up in the Middle Ages.[27]
The western set is a double-arched gate (the Double Gate), and the eastern is a triple-arched gate (the Triple Gate).[28] There still are a few Herodian architectural elements visible outside and inside the gates, while most everything else of what we see today is later, Muslim-period work
References
1. Abu Sharar, Adam. “The Shop at Bab al-Khalil.” Jerusalem Quarterly, no. 15 (2002).
2. Armstrong, Karen. Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.
3. Auld, Sylvia, and Robert Hillenbrand. Ottoman Jerusalem: The Living City, Part I (1517–1917). London: Altajir World of Islam Trust, 2000.
4. Bahat, Dan.The Illustrated Atlas of Jerusalem. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989.
5. Büssow, Johann. Hamidian Jerusalem: Politics and Society in the District of Jerusalem, 1872–1908. Vol. 46 of The Ottoman Empire and Its Heritage: Politics, Society and Economy, edited by Suraiya Faroqhi, Halil Inalcik, and Bogac Ergene. Leiden: Brill, 2011.
6. “Dung Gate, Jerusalem.” GPS My City.
7. Encyclopedia Britannica. s.v. “Landscape of Jerusalem, City Layout.”
8. “The Gates of the Old City.“ Jerusalem Story.
9. “Gates of Jerusalem.” Madain Project.
10. “Gates of the Old City.” Bible Places.
11. “History of the Gates of Jerusalem.” Holy Land Site.
12. “Jerusalem Visitor Guide.” Bab al-Sahira (Herod’s Gate).
13. “Mapping Jerusalem’s Old City.” National Geographic.
14. “New Gate—Jerusalem.” Bible Walks.
15. Reuters Staff. “Portals to History and Conflict: The Gates of Jerusalem’s Old City.” Reuters, October 7, 2019.
16. Shahin, Mariam. Palestine: A Guide. Photography by George Azar. Northampton, MA: Interlink Books, 2005.
17. Wikipedia. s.v. “Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem.” Last modified October 24, 2021, 08:29.
18. Wikipedia. s.v. “Huldah Gates.” Last modified October 25, 2024, 17:40.
19. Wikipedia. s.v. “Lions’ Gate.” Last modified November 24, 2021, 22:12.
20. Wikipedia. s.v. “Zion Gate.” Last modified November 3, 2021, 12:18.
Endnotes
[1] “Mapping Jerusalem’s Old City,” National Geographic; Encyclopedia Britannica, s.v. “Landscape of Jerusalem, City Layout.”
[2] This massive project took five years to complete. The city was encircled by a wall, 40 feet high and 2 miles long, and had 34 towers and 7 gates. It was the first time the city had proper fortification in more than 300 years. Karen Armstrong, Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996), 324.
[3] Adam Abu Sharar, “The Shop at Bab al-Khalil,” Jerusalem Quarterly, no. 15 (2002); Shahin, Palestine, 309.
[4] Johann Büssow, Hamidian Jerusalem: Politics and Society in the District of Jerusalem, 1872–1908, vol. 46 of The Ottoman Empire and Its Heritage: Politics, Society and Economy, ed. Suraiya Faroqhi, Halil Inalcik, and Bogac Ergene (Leiden: Brill, 2011), 496.
[5] “New Gate—Jerusalem,” Bible Walks; “Gates of Jerusalem,” Madain Project; Shahin, Palestine, 307.
[6] Wikipedia, s.v. “Zion Gate,” last modified November 3, 2021, 12:18.
[7] Shahin, Palestine, 309; Benny Morris, 1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009).
[8] “Dung Gate, Jerusalem,” GPS My City.
[9] Shahin, Palestine, 309.
[10] Wikipedia, s.v. “Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem,” last modified October 24, 2021, 08:29; “Gates of Jerusalem—Golden Gate,” Crystal Links.
[11] “The Lion’s Gate: A Solid Defense Line of Jerusalem,” Al-Quds Jerusalem.
[12] “The Lion’s Gate.”
[13] “The Lion’s Gate.”
[14] Sylvia Auld and Robert Hillenbrand, Ottoman Jerusalem: The Living City, Part I (1517–1917) (London: Altajir World of Islam Trust, 2000).
[15] “Gates of Jerusalem,” Madain Project.
[16] Wikipedia, s.v. “Lions’ Gate,” last modified November 24, 2021, 22:12.
[17] Shahin, Palestine, 310.
[18] “Jerusalem Visitor Guide,” Bab al-Sahira (Herod’s Gate).
[19] “Gates of Jerusalem,” Madain Project.
[20] Armstrong, Jerusalem, 324.
[21] “Gates of Jerusalem—Damascus Gate,” Crystal Links.
[22] Mariam Shahin, Palestine: A Guide (Northampton, MA: Interlink Books, 2005), 307.
[23] Encyclopædia Judaica (ed. 1972), vol. 15, pp. 963-4.
[24] Gonen, Rivka (2003). Contested Holiness: Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Perspectives on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Jersey City, N.J.: Ktav Publishing House. p. 32.
[25] Jerome Murphy-O'Connor (2008). The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700. Oxford Archaeological Guides. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 104, 113.
[26] Jerome Murphy-O'Connor (2008). The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700. Oxford Archaeological Guides. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 104, 113.
[27] Jerome Murphy-O'Connor (2008). The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700. Oxford Archaeological Guides. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 104, 113.
[28] Jerome Murphy-O'Connor (2008). The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700. Oxford Archaeological Guides. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 104, 113.