Jerusalem Gates

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Golden Gate The Mercy (Golden) Gate (Bab el Rahmeh)

Appears in the legends of all three religions. An early Jewish tradition holds that it is through that gate that the Messiah will enter jerusalem. According to Christian tradition, Jesus made made his last entry to Jerusalem through the Mercy Gate. The Muslims refer to it as the Gate of Mercy and believe it to be the gate referred to in the Koran, through which the just will pass on the Day of Judgment

Lion's Gate

Known in Hebrew as the Lion's Gate. Legend has it that the lions engraved on both sides of the gate were placed there by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, because he had dreamed that he would be devoured by lions unless he built a wall around the Holy City for the defence of the citizens

Herod's Gate

The first name was given to the gate by pilgrims, who erroneously believed that it led to Herod's palace. It is also known in Arabic as the Flower Gate

Damascus Gate

The most massive and ornate of all of Jerusalem's gates. The road running off it leads to Shechem (Nablus) and then to Damascus

Zion Gate The western gate of the Old City

Named after Mount Zion. In Arabic it is known as "the Prophet David's Gate", because one passes through King David's tomb on Mount Zion

Jaffa Gate

This gate is the principal entrance to the Old City. Its name in Arabic is Bab-el-Khalil, the gate of Hebron, as the main road to Hebron started here. It was also called Jaffa Gate because the road to Jaffa and the coast also started from it

What can you see in Holy Jerusalem

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David Tower

Location: Jaffa Gate

Notes:
David's Tower

Containing absolutely no connection with King David, this fortress was built by Herod the Great on Hasmonaean foundations to try and secure Jerusalem’s northern wall, always the weakest point of its defences. Its three towers were named after his three favourite people: Miriam (his wife), Phasael (his brother) and Hippicus (his friend). Today only the base of the tower of Phasael survives from that time. The fortress, due to its colossal size, was only partially destroyed by the Romans during the first Jewish Revolt (AD 66-70) and survived as a fortrss through successive Islamic, Crusader and Turkish periods right up to the first world war. In fact, it was from those steps that Allenby declared the freedom of Jerusalem from Turkish rule.

The Old City Walls

Location: All Around The Old City Of Jerusalem.

Notes:

No Tour in Israel is complete without a visit to Jerusalem's Walls. The walls you can see today around Jerusalem's old city were built by the Turkish sultan Suleiman the "Magnificent" during the years 1536-1541. The length of the wall is around 3.8 km.
Gate of Zion
Gate of Zion is located on the South-Western site of Jerusalem's Walls. The gate connects the Jewish Quarter and the Armenian Quarter with Mount Zion, and that is the reason for its name.
During the late middle ages, the Jews of the city held the keys to the gate, and that is what it is sometimes called the "Jewish Quarter Gate". The Muslims call this gate "Bab Daud a-Nabi", which translates to the gate of David the prophet, named after King David, who's tomb is located on Mount Zion.
During the War of Independence, the gate was the scene of some hard battles, during which soldiers of the IDF tried to break the siege around the Jewish Quarter of the Old City.
In an attempt to help the besieged Jewish Quarter, an attack was carried out on the Jaffa Gate during the 17th of May 1948, while at the same time a diversion was done on Mount Zion. The attack on the Jaffa Gate failed miserably, but surprisingly, the diversion was successful beyond expectations, and the people of the Palmach took hold of Mount Zion. In light of the success, soldiers of the "Harel" brigade broke the siege to the Jewish Quarter on the 19th of Mat 1948, and brought reinforcement and equipment. After the breakin, the soldiers abandoned Mount Zion, which was then re-taken by the soldiers of the Jordanian Legion. The Jewish Quarter fell shortly after.
These fierce battles are the reason for the many bullet holes marking on the face of the gate.
The Golden Gate
The Golden Gate is located on the eastern side of Jerusalem's Wall. The Gate's structure is from the seventh century, which means it predates the Turkish wall which we know today. Remains of an even older gate dating to the time of the Second Temple were found.
The gate divided into two gates, both blocked today with bricks. The northern gate is called the northern gate is called the 'Gate of Grace' and the southern gate is called the 'Gate of Mercy'.
The Christian tradition marks The Golden Gate as the gate through which Christ entered Jerusalem, and that is why the gate is also names the 'Golden Gate'. That tradition also tells that this gate is where the byzantine emperor Heracles entered Jerusalem after freeing it from the Persians during the 7th century (a short while before the city was taken by Muslims).
The Jewish tradition tells that The Golden Gate is the gate through which the Messiah will enter Jerusalem, bringing the Jewish nation to redemption. The emperor Suleiman, who heard this tradition, decided to prevent the arrival of the Messiah by blocking the gate with bricks, and by building a Muslim cemetery in front of the gate (the Messiahs is a Cohen, so he can not enter a cemetery...).
Today the gate's structure houses a Muslim prayer and study hall. Entrance to the gate is from the Temple Mount only.

The Kotel

Notes:

The KotelSometimes called the Western Wall, the Wailing Wall, or the Kotel HaMaariv, it is part of the remains of the second Temple in Jerusalem.
Over generations, Jews came to pray there, as it was the closest they could come to the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount.
When one refers to "The" Wall, they mean the Kotel.
It is very hard to make a good photograph of the Wall, as unless you work extremely hard, or are extremely lucky, the photo comes out looking like a 10 second snapshot.
When you see the Wall, you aren't just seeing it with your eyes - there is so much more. There are thousands of years and the weight of millions of Jews there.
Your eyes may just see giant bricks and people praying, but your heart sees infinitely more. A good photo will somehow remind the heart.
In my entire life I have only seen two or three really good photos of the Wall. I'll no doubt keep trying, but I suspect that it'll be a while before I make a photo of the Wall that I am totally happy with.
On Jewish holidays, thousands come to pray at the Wall. They stream in from all directions, their eyes shining, fixed on the weathered stones.
They press messages and prayers into the cracks that time has worn between the stones. As the story goes, from here, God is a local call.
Much less well known than the Kotel is the Southern Wall. This was where the actual entrance for pilgrims to the Temple was.
It is one of the ironies of history that the Southern Wall is so little known.