VIRTUAL JEWISH MUSEUM

Jerusalem.Gates,Walls,Temple Mount

Jaffa Gate.a

Jaffa gate on the west side of the Old City is named for the road leading to the port of Jaffa, which begins/ends at this gate. It is the main entrance for visitors from the New city, and for most of the vehicular traffic. Built in 1538 when the walls were restored.

Jaffa Gate.b

An early view of the gate shows shops at the outer entrance. Printed in Zurich.

Jaffa Gate.c

A contemporary photo of the gate. It is L-shaped by design as a defensive measure.

Jaffa Gate.d.gap

In 1898 Kaiser Wilhelm visited the city. To give him easy access, on horseback and in carriages, a breach was opened in the wall, just south of the actual gate. The breach is also referred to as the 'Gate'. This early postcard shows the breach, and 2 features that were later removed - the clock tower on the left and the public water fountain ('sebil') on the right.

Jaffa Gate.e.sebil.no clock

This image of the gap/gate shows the fountain, but no clock tower. The fountain was installed in 1900. The image must date from before 1907 when the tower was added.

Jaffa Gate.f.tower, no fountain

This image shows the tower but no fountain. The fountain was removed in 1921, the tower in 1922, both by British authorities.

Jaffa Gate.Inside

View of the gate from the inside.

Jaffa Gate.Allenby

General Allenby, head of the conquering British forces, entered Jerusalem through Jaffa Gate on 11 December 1917.

Jaffa Gate.Street View

This view is up David Street to the interior entrance of the gate.

Zion Gate.a

Called Zion Gate due to being in the Mt. Zion area. Arabs call it the Gate of Prophet David or the Gate of the Jewish Quarter. The caption here is 'David's Gate'. Part of sultan Suleiman's restoration in 1540. It is on te southwest side of the Old City.

Zion Gate.b

Another tourist-oriented card captioned 'David's Gate'. A glimpse of the L-shaped interior. This gate is close to the Armenian Quarter of the city.

Zion Gate.c.Pocked

The pockmarks are damage from bullets fired during the 1948 War.

Zion Gate.d.Inside

This photo shows Zion Gate from inside the City.

Zion Gate.e.Names

This sign from the nearby square shows the Israeli name in Hebrew and the Arab name in Arabic and English.

Jrslm.Gates.Dung.a.outside

Continuing to present the gates of the Old City wall moving counterclockwise: Dung Gate is on the southeast . Also 'Gate of Silwan' and 'Mograbi Gate'. The most direct gate to the Western Wall. This was the collection point for the city's refuse, hence the name. The bible mentions a gate in this area.

Dung Gate.b.Broad view

Scene of the Dung Gate in the larger setting of the south wall.

Dung Gate.c.Outside.Renovated

The gate was remodeled several times, first to allow vehicles to enter and more recently to reinforce the stonework. This photo is of the outside.

Dung Gate.d.Photo.Inside

Golden Gate.a

The Golden Gate is called the Gate of Mercy by Jews. (Sha'ar Harachamim). It is the eastern wall entrance to the Temple Mount. It has been sealed since Suleiman's time; It can be accessed from the inside. Printed in Egypt.

Golden Gate.b.exterior photo

A contemporary photo of the Golden Gate exterior.It is associated with several legends.

Golden Gate.c.Interior.1921

This early view is of the interior of the Gate. Taken from inside the walls, on the Temple Mount. Printed in Palestine 1921.

Golden Gate.d.interior.color.1924

Another view of the interior. Colorized. Mailed from Jerusalem to Washington D.C. in July 1924.

Golden Gate.e.Interior.Engraving.1835

This is an engraving of the inner chamber of the Golden Gate. Published in London in 1835.

Golden Gate.f.interior engraving description

This description accompanies the engraving.

Lions Gate.a.colorized

The Lion’s Gate, also called St. Mary’s Gate & St.Stephen’s Gate by Christians, and Gate of the Tribes by Moslems, is located on the eastern wall of the Old City, to the north. Part of a set of 60 images, printed in Beirut.

Lions Gate.b.sepia

Printed in the sepia tones of early 20th century. Captioned 'Stephen's Gate'. Detached from a souvenir booklet of such cards, printed in Arab Jerusalem.

Lions Gate.c.photo

Contemporary photo of the exterior of the gate. Showing more wear. The 'Lions' are really more panther-like. They invoke the memory of the Egyptian Mamluk ruler Baibars (1200s) who used them as his symbol. Jews used this gate to reach the Har Hazeitim cemetery; Moslems to reach the Temple Mount; Christians to reach the Via Dolorosa.

Lions gate.d.Tzahal

Israel's soldiers march through the gate in formation. It has special significance for them: through this gate the paratroopers broke into the Old City during the Six Day War (1967) and from there continued to the Temple Mount.

Lions Gate.e.Interior

Interior of the Lion's Gate. Obviously a working gate for Old city residents.

Herods Gate.a

Herod's gate is one of 3 on the North side of the Temple Mount. Christians call it Herod's gate, Arabs call it Zahra and Israelis call it Sha'ar Haperachim (gate of the Flowers). It leads into the Moslem Quarter. On the back it reads (printed in) 'Old city Jerusalem Jordan' dating it to between 1948 and 1967.

Herods Gate.c.sheep

All the early images show animals and their owners gathered outside the gate. Apparantly this was understood to be the animal market in the area.

Herods Gate.d.Market

Although the opening of it doesn't show, the caption here places the scene right outside the gate.

Herod's Gate.e.photo

In this contemporary photo we can see the circular design that prompted the name 'Flower Gate'.

Herod's Gate.f.Interior

This recent photo shows the interior side of the gate. Unremarkable and leading into a residential area.

Damascus Gate.a

Damascus Gate enters from the north wall, towards the east. Its name comes from beginning the road that reaches up to Damascus, Syria. Jews call it Sha'ar Shchem/ Gate of Shchem, as it reaches the more local city of Shchem/Nablus. Arabs call it Bab al-Amud, Gate of the Column, for the column that stood inside in Roman times, bearing a statue of Hadrian. Printed in Germany before 1907.

Damascus Gate.b

this image also pre-dates 1907, as indicated by its undivided back. Also picturing sheep, perhaps on there way to the nearby market in front of Herod's gate. Printed in Germany.

Damascus Gate.c.colorized

This French product has a colorized image. Notably new buildings have been added on the right of the entry plaza.

Damascus Gate.d.sheep color

Product of Syria, this card in color shows a large flock of sheet in front of the gate.

Damascus Gate.e.broad

Mailed to Michigan USA from Jerusalem in 1912, this card shows the Gate in 'the big picture' with the Old /City in the background.

Damascus Gate.f.Interior

This view of the interior of the gate shows the market area, and the traffic in and out through the gate.

Damascus Gate.g.photos

Contemporary photos of the exterior and interior of the gate.

Damascus Gate.h.Roman

Below the entrance walkway, excavation has revealed an original ancient gate of the Roman city of antiquity.

New.gate.a

Completing the survey of the 8 gates is the 'New Gate', also in the north wall of the Temple Mount. It is the newest of the gates of the Old City, built in 1889 by the Ottomans in order to provide direct access between the Christian Quarter and the new neighborhoods outside the walls. Its name is the same in English, Hebrew and Arabic. This card was mailed in 1972 from Jerusalem to Hadera.

New Gate.b.photo

A recent photo of the New Gate exterior.

New Gate.c.interior photo

Recent phot of the gate from the inside.

Interior Gates

Bab alAsbat;The Tribes

'Gate of the Tribes'. located at the northeast corner. Called in hebrew and Arabic 'Gate of the (12) Tribes'. Ground level entrance therefore used by ambulances for access. Recent photo.

Bab Hutta Gate

North side The Gate of Remission (Arabic: باب الحطه Bāb al-Ḥiṭṭa), ('forgiveness'). Located on the north side, west of the far eastern end of the Temple Mount.] It is one of the oldest gates of the Al-Aqsa compound, and is the main entrance for visitors entering from the northern side of the city of Jerusalem. Recent photo.

Dark Gate

Entrance from the North. Gate of Darkness was named for a nearby building.

Iron Gate.Entry

A western entrance, near the Moslem Quarter. Recent photo.

Iron Gate.Kotel katan

Near the Iron gate is a section of the Western Wall. It is a lesser known but authentic continuation of the more famous section to the south. Some prefer this less crowded and less noisy location.

Cotton Merchants Gate.a.Inside

The Cotton Merchants' Gate leads onto the Temple Mount. The gate was built by the ruler of Damascus, Tankiz, during the reign of Mamluk Sultan ibn Qalawun. Since this site is the closest a person can get to the Foundation Stone, the gate was a popular place of prayer for Jews during the 19th century.

Cotton Merchants Gate.b.shuq

The Cotton Merchants' Gate (Arabic: باب القطانين Bāb al-Qaṭṭānīn Hebrew: שער מוכרי הכותנה) leads onto the Temple Mount. Merchant shops align both sides of the passage-way leading to the Cotton Merchants' gate, a mercantile zone known as the Bazaar of the Haram.[17] The gate was built by the ruler of Damascus, Tankiz, during the reign of Mamluk Sultan ibn Qalawun, as marked by an inscription over the door.[18] Since this site is the closest a person can get to the Foundation Stone (the naturPhoto

Cotton Merchants.c.Looking in

This picture shows the view inside, looking through the gate.

Gate of the Chain

The Chain Gate, another entry from the West, is named for a Moslem legend.

Gate of the Chain.b

A recent photo of the entrance.

Chain Gate.c.Entry

A close up photo.

Internal gates.Moghrabi

Another internal gates that afford access from inside the Old City. Moghrabi/Moroccan/Moors Gate is named for the community of Moroccan immigrants who formed a neighborhood nearby. This is the primary entrance to the Temple Mount for non-Moslems. It is actually above the mostly buried ancient gate known as Barclay's Gate.

Temple Mount.Kotel

Temple Mount.sign Waqf

Visiting on the Temple Mount itself is controversial. In 1967, when the area came under Israeli control, Jews rejoiced that 'The Temple Mount is in Our Hands'. However Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, seeing it as of only historical interest to Jews, while the Moslems had an active Mosque and Shrine there, gave authority over the Mount to the Moslem Waqf (religious trust). They in turn concluded that Jews apparantly had no special connection to it and even demanded that no Jew pray on the Mount.

Temple Mount.sign Waqf

Not mentioned on this sign but part of the understanding between Israel and Jordan is that Jews would not pray on the Mount or even bring religious articles. Recently, some in and out of government have been challenging this. 'Why should everyone BUT Jews be able to pray on their holiest site'?

Temple Mount Sign.Rabbinate

Complicating this issue is a ruling by Israel's chief rabbinate that Jews should not enter the area because they are not ritually pure and the exact location is unclear. More recently, Jews have increasingly been visiting, taking care to stay outside the Temple's actual boundaries, according to all opinions. Rabbi Goren wrote an entire book with maps on the subject.

Temple Mount.Birds Eye

This postcard presents a bird's-eye view of the Temple plaza, slightly from the Northeast.

Temple Mount.Northwest corner

View of the Temple Mount area from the Northwest corner.

Temple Mount.Northwest corner

View from the Northwest corner.

Temple Mount.Northeast view

Temple Mount.from the South

Early color postcard view from the South. Mailed in 1913.

Temple Mount.fountain on South

In front of the AlAksa mosque, and before ascending to the Temple Plaza and Dome of the rock is this fountain. Built in the 1300s and known as al-Cas, it facilitates Moslem purification before entering to pray. Postcard dated 1918.

Temple Mount.Al-Aksa.Exterior

Al Aksa mosque on the South end of the Temple Mount is the actual Moslem house of worship in this area. This early colorized postcard shows the exterior.

Temple Mount.Al-Aksa.interior

The mosque complex has been rebuilt and restored numerous times due to successive regimes and earthquake damage. Non-Moslems are not permitted to enter. The undivided back on this card dates it to pre-1907.

Temple Mount.gateway

These symbolic arches surround the Temple plaza on all sides, 8 altogether. This souvenir postcard shows a drawing of one such archway. Dated by a tourist to 1918.

Temple Mount.south entrance.Dome of Chain

One of the southern entrances to the Mount plaza leads directly to a building called the Dome of the Chain. It refers to an ancient Islamic legend. It is multi-sided and similar to tthe Dome of the Rock. Used for prayer.

Temple Mount.from West.Mt of Olives

View from the West side. Beyond the Dome is the Mt. of Olives to the East. Postcard cancelled in 1922.

Temple Mount.view to Plaza from East

Temple Mount.West side arch view

Recent photo of the steps and archway leading up to the plaza from the west side.

Temple Mount.birds eye

This aerial view of the Temple plaza shows the dominent and famous Dome of the Rock.

Dome of the Rock.sepia

The building is not a Mosque/prayer site but rather a shrine. It was built about the year 690. It was understood that the site had religious and historic significance as the place of the original Jewish Mikdash/Temple. It was also intended to rival famous Christian churches. And legends arose about Mohammad and the Rock.

Temple Mount.Dome of the Rock.color

The building has undergone numerous renovations and reconstructions.

Temple Mount.Dome of Rock.from North

Early post card image of the Plaza from the North side.

Temple Mount.Dome. view from

This is a view of the Dome of the Rock from the East side of the plaza. It is a recent photo, taken from a distance safely outside the sacred limits of the original Temple.

Temple Mount.Dome entrance.sepia

This is the entrance to the Dome of the Rock. The postcard is a real photo, printed in Britain and sold in Cairo. The sepia image shows an early stage which has since undergone renovations.

Temple Mount.Dome of Rock.interior

The building is octagonal on the exterior. Inside, a circle of arches surrounds the Rock. The impressive dome covers it. The dome is gold-plated, a donation by king Hussein of Jordan in the 1990s.

Temple Mount.interior.decoration

Marble, capets, and tile beautify the interior. all encircling the Rock.

Temple Mount.Dome of the Rock.THE ROCK

The Rock itself is thought to be the ancient Even Hashtiya, foundation stone, on which the Holy Ark rested in Solomon's Temple, and is for Jews the spiritual center of the world. Under the various regimes it has undergone some reworking (damage) for various Christian and Islamic repurposes.

Temple Mount.Rock.sepia

Temple Mount.Rock.Sepia.Loewy_edited

This closeup of the Rock shows the shaping it has undergone over the centuries. It's a photo image from the famous Ben-Dov. Sent from Jerusalem to Berlin in 1922 by the famous German Zionist H. Loewy to his daughter Hadassa with his distinctive handwriting and Hebrew message.

Temple Mount.rock and Aksa

This early card shows the 2 main attractions of the Temple Mount: the Dome and its Rock and the el-Aksa mosque. Undivided back. Card actually mailed from Jerusalem through the Austrian Post in April 1904 to Illinois USA. Stamped by one of the tourist hotels in the Old City - Grand New Hotel - just inside Jaffa gate.

Temple Mount.Rock and Aksa_edited

This early card shows the 2 main attractions of the Temple Mount: the Dome and its Rock and the el-Aksa mosque. Undivided back. Card actually mailed from Jerusalem through the Austrian Post in April 1904 to Illinois USA. Stamped by one of the tourist hotels in the Old City - Grand New Hotel - just inside Jaffa gate.

Temple Mount.Under Rock.enraving

An old engraving of the interior under the Dome (erroneously captioned 'the Mosque of Omar'). This side shows the staircase down to the cave below the Rock. Moslems call it the 'Well of Souls'.

Temple Mount.Well of Souls.photo

This internet image shows a more recent picture, from the bottom of the stairs and the chamber und erneath.

Temple Mount.floor paving stone.Mezuza

A paving stone from the Temple plaza floor. The groove in the stone looks suspiciously like the stone was originally framing a doorway and held a Mezuzah.

Temple Mount.entry to Solomons stables

This entry leads down to the chamber below. It is traditionally referred to as Solomon's stables, but was likely a crusader construction. In the 90s the Waqf remodeled it into an underground mosque.

Temple Mount.Plaza.stairway to Hulda tunnel entry

This portal from the Temple Plaza was originally the exit from the (now sealed) Hulda entry tunnels. Closed from the outside, these are now used as Moslem prayer areas and a library. Recent photo.

Triple Gate_edited

This internet photo shows the triple arches of sealed gates. They are on the south section of the wall surrounding the Temple Mount. They have been blocked since the 11th century. The tunnels behind them are still there.

Temple Mount.Plaza.Dome of the Spirits.Northeast corner

Dome of the Spirits. Another feature on the Plaza, located in the Northeast.

Temple Mount.Plaza.ancient stone.West Wall

Ancient stone - remnant of original Western Wall. Archaeologists have identified this course of stones, on the west side of the Temple Plaza, as the original Western Temple Mount wall. It was concealed when Herod expanded the Plaza in antiquity.