The Gates of Jerusalem in the Ottoman Period to the Present

Suleiman had six gates installed in Jerusalem’s walls. A seventh gate, the “New Gate,” was added in 1887 by Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The Ottoman-period gates—seven functional, and four older, walled-up structures—are well known to both tourists and students of Jerusalem’s history. The gates in the Haram es-Sharif’s enclosure walls are original to the Islamic periods (see above).

(Gates are listed below using the most commonly-used western name, followed by official Arabic title and other relevant names. This summary of the Ottoman gates is based primarily on Jerome Murphy-O’Connor’s work [The Holy Land, 10–22; see also Mitchell, “The Modern Wall”].)

• New Gate: No official title exists for this gate since it was a late addition to the walls. The Hebrew (Sha‘ar Hadash; השער החדש, hsh'r hchdsh) and Arabic (Bab el-Jedid;باب الجديد) titles simply mean “New Gate.” The gate was added in 1887 to accommodate new living quarters in the northwestern corner of the city.

• Damascus Gate: officially named Bab el-Amoud (“Gate of the Column”; باب العمود), but also called Sha‘ar Shkhem (“Shechem Gate;” שער שכם, sh'r shkm). The gate’s official name refers to the Islamic-period gate, in turn based on the main entryway of Aelia Capitolina. The modern English name preserves the late Roman/Byzantine reference to the gate’s connection with the northern, main road to Damascus, the capital of Syria.

• Herod’s Gate: officially named Bab el-Sahira (“Flowered Gate”; باب الساهرة), but also called Sha‘ar HaPerahim (“Gate of the Flowers”; שער הפרחים, sh'r hprchym). Located on the eastern side of the northern wall, this gate was named “Herod’s Gate” in the 16th or 17th century due to the erroneous belief by pilgrims that an Islamic-period structure inside the gate was the palace of Herod Antipas.

• Lion’s Gate: officially named Bab el-Ghor (باب الأسباط; “Gate of the Depression,” referring to the Jordan Valley). This gate is most commonly known by one of two names:

1. its Christian name, “St. Stephen’s Gate” (after ad 1187, Christians began calling this eastern gate “St. Stephen’s” instead of the northern gate noted above)

2. its modern Hebrew name Sha‘ar HaAriyot (“Gate of the Lions,” rendered in Arabic as Bab el-Asbat). The gate’s modern name comes from four embossed panthers—long mistaken for lions by the local populace—located on either side of the gate. The gate is on the northern section of the eastern wall.

• Dung Gate: officially named Bab el-Magharbeh (“Gate of the Moors”; باب المغاربة). The official name of the gate is based on the older Mamluk title, while the Hebrew name (Sha‘ar HaAshpot; “Dung Gate”; שער האשפות, sh'r h'shpwt)—refers to the biblical gate of the same name.

• Zion Gate: officially named Bab el-Nabi Da’oud (“Gate of the Prophet David”; باب النبي داود) but also called Sha‘ar Tsion (שער ציון, sh'r tsywn) in Hebrew. Both the Arabic and Hebrew titles reference locations just outside the gate: the legendary tomb of David, king of Israel, and the southwestern hill of Jerusalem, called Mount Zion since the Byzantine period. The gate is on the western section of the southern wall.

• Jaffa Gate: officially named Bab el-Khalil (“Gate of the Friend”; باب الخليل). The modern name of Jerusalem’s sole western gate, Sha‘ar Yaffo (שער יפו, sh'r ypw), reflects the significance of Tel Aviv, ancient Jaffa, to Jewish immigrants.

The four sealed gates of Jerusalem have been discussed above:

• Golden Gate: The sealed Bab el-Rahma (باب الرحمة) was incorporated into the walls of Suleiman’s Jerusalem, but was walled up permanently at that time.

• Single Gate: The Islamic Bab es-Sitta is walled up, and while somewhat inconspicuous, can still be seen on the southern wall of the Temple Mount.

• Triple Gate: The eastern Huldah Gate with its Islamic-period modifications is walled up, but its three portals are still visible on the southern wall of the Temple Mount.

• Double Gate: The western Huldah Gate/“Gate of the Prophet” is walled up and partially blocked by the remains of an Umayyad-period structure. A small portion of the eastern portal is still visible.