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Jaffa Gate

Portals to history and conflict: the gates of Jerusalem's Old City

The eight gates - seven open and one sealed - along the Old City walls were built in the 16th century by Turkish sultan Suleiman the Magnificent; since then, they have witnessed war and peace amid the bustling ancient stones of the city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians

Jews, Muslims and Christians pass daily through the gates of Jerusalem's Old City, on their way to and from prayers or simply to go about their everyday business in one of the most politically sensitive spots on earth.

 

 

There are eight gates - seven are open and one is sealed - along the Old City walls that were built in the 16th century by Turkish sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

 


Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem
Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem
 

 

It's always busy at Damascus Gate, the main entrance to the Muslim quarter, and at Jaffa Gate, facing west towards the Mediterranean, where local residents and tourists mix in markets lining stone alleyways.


Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem
Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem

 

Lion's Gate - two pairs of heraldic lions are carved on the archway - is also known as St. Stephen's Gate.


The Lions' Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem
The Lions' Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem

 

It faces east, towards ancient Jericho. It is often crowded with Muslim worshippers after prayers at al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine.


The New Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem
The New Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem

 

Many Jewish worshippers take another route to Judaism's nearby Western Wall.

 

The Dung Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem
The Dung Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem
 

 

They pass through the Dung Gate, the closest entrance to the holy place, and Jewish families on their way to celebrate a 13-year-old son's Bar Mitzvah can be spotted making their way to the wall.


Zion Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem
Zion Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem

 

Security is always tight in a volatile area at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli police patrol and closed circuit TV cameras monitor the passageways of the Old City.


The Golden Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem
The Golden Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem

 

Israel views all of Jerusalem, including the walled Old City that it captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, as its "eternal and indivisible" capital.

 


Herod's Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem
Herod's Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem
 

 

Palestinians want East Jerusalem, where the Old City is located, as the capital of a state they seek to establish in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

 

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 10.12.19, 18:54
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