Gates of Jerusalem's Old City

Hebron or Joppa Gate

Jerusalem is entirely surrounded by a massive wall built by Sultan Suleiman in A.D. 1542. It is provided with numerous flanking towers, and protected on the north by a ditch partly cut in the rock. The form of the city is that of an irregular quadrangle, and the total extent of the walls is about two and a half miles. There are ten gates in the walls, five of which are open and five closed. Of the former, the Jaffa Gate is on the west, the Damascus Gate on the north, St. Stephen's Gate on the east, and the Zion and Dung Gates on the south; of the latter, the Gate of Flowers or of Herod is on the north, the Golden Gate on the east, and the Single, Double, and Triple Gates on the south. (Source: Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, p. 6.)

Street inside Jaffa Gate with Bazaar

The Jaffa Gate, or Gate of Hebron (Bab el Khalil), is the principal entrance to the city, and its immediate neighbourhood is generally enlivened by a throng of passers-by, and by the groups of muleteers, packers, and idlers who spend a large portion of their time lounging about the cafes without the gate. . .  . A favourite site for a bivouac is the open space just within the Jaffa Gate; but pilgrims and wayfarers who select this spot must move at a very early hour in the morning, to make way for the peasants who come from the neighbouring villages with daily supplies of fruit, vegetables, and poultry for Jerusalem. This open space probably represents the "marketplace" mentioned by Josephus as being situated on the western hill, prior to the capture of the city by the Romans; and here the wholesale fruit and vegetable market is now held every day soon after sunrise . . . . In an hour or two the market people disperse, and only a few retail sellers of fruit or of rude pottery remain. The illustration . . . gives an excellent idea of this place as it appears during the midday hours. (Source: Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, p. 7, 32, 34.)

The Zion Gate


St. Stephen's Gate

In the eastern wall there is but one open gate. Some call it St. Stephen's Gate, from a fifteenth century tradition that the first Christian martyr was stoned a few yards outside it, close to the path leading down to Gethsemane. Others called it the Gate of our Lady Mary, and there is a large reservoir not far distant bearing the name of the Virgin. All the roads from Olivet, Bethany, and Jericho meet here, and from this spot we commence our walk. It is a plain Saracenic portal, with pointed arch above and a depressed one beneath. On each side of the upper arch are rudely sculptured lions, as may be seen on the accompanying engraving. (Source: Jerusalem, Bethany, and Bethlehem, p. 26.)