From the gate - turn or gate of the Old City of Jerusalem (evening tour)

Shall we not walk around the Old City of Jerusalem along its fortress walls, entering one gate and going out through another?

The most wonderful and appropriate time for such a trip comes with darkness.

The wall of the Old City, which had been in ruins since the destruction of Jerusalem by the Mamluks in the 14th century, was built at the behest of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1536, two and a half meters wide.

With seven gates.

One of them is the Lions. They are decorated with bas-reliefs of two pairs of lions. The lion is a symbol of the tribe of Judah, and therefore of Jerusalem, since its founder, King David, is of the tribe of Judah. This gate is also called the Gate of the Virgin Mary or the Great Martyr Stephen. Through the Lion’s Gate during the Six-Day War, Israeli paratroopers entered Jerusalem.

Others are the Flowers, or the gates of Herod Antipas, the son of the great and terrible Herod—yes, yes! of the same.

Another name is the gate of magicians or lunatics. Curious why?

The third is the Golden Gate or the Gate of Mercy. Watching the walled passages to the east and the Mount of Olives, they are the most mysterious and mysterious. In ancient times, when only Jews lived in Jerusalem, the high priest of the Temple of Jerusalem released a scapegoat for the sins of the whole people on the Day of Judgment, and it was through this gate, from the east, crossing the Mount of Olives, that the Messiah should come. In the Gospels it is written that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, has already entered Jerusalem through the Golden Gate and ascended to the Temple. The Muslims sealed this gate and built a cemetery under it outside, they say, to prevent the Jewish Messiah from fulfilling his divine mission. Each religion connects the Golden Gate with its own traditions, legends, beliefs, aspirations and hopes.

The fourth is Jaffa. Even before the beginning of the 20th century, they began a roadway along which caravans went to Jaffa, the oldest port city of Israel, and to Hebron, which gave the second name to the gate - Hebron or the gate of the Friend of God. Do you know who this friend of God is?

Fifth - Damascus, or Shechem Gate, got the name, as you can guess, because they began the road to Damascus, which led through the city of Shechem/Schem. This gate is the most monumental, decorated with oriental architectural details and recognized as the most beautiful in the city.
The Muslim inhabitants of East Jerusalem call this gate Round, because behind it was a semicircular square with a column in the center, from which in the Roman period began the countdown of the distances between Jerusalem and other cities. The same column gave the fourth name to the gate - the gate of the Column. When archaeologists excavated under this gate after the Six-Day War, they discovered the original 2nd century AD gate, a circular square and a street paved with wide stone. The place near the Damascus Gate is very lively and there is where to stop, talk, look at passers-by residents and tourists and show yourself.

The sixth is the Zion Gate, which had the heaviest battle of the 1948 war, and as a result, the Jewish Quarter was captured by the Jordanian Legion and almost completely destroyed. As it is easy to guess, the name of its gate was received from Mount Zion on which they are located. Do you want to go to the tomb of King David or to the chamber of the Last Supper?

The Seventh Garbage Gate is located near the Temple Mount and its two walls, the West and South. This name dates back to ancient times and is associated with the fact that through them garbage was taken to the Kedron valley. These gates are just a passageway in the wall of the Old City, but are closest to the Western Wall and the City of David, ancient Jerusalem conquered from the Eucusean people by King David 3,000 years ago.

The eighth, the new, narrow and low, were cut in 1889, and this was due to the need to have a close connection with the Vatican office, occupying, just across the street from the Christian Quarter, a magnificent building of Jerusalem stone, crowned with the figure of the Virgin Mary with a baby, and bearing the name Notre Dame. By the way, today on the roof of the complex feeds its guests exquisite French, with a touch of oriental cuisine, the Rooftop restaurant, pampering visitors with a magnificent view.

Here it would be good to finish the tour and eat delicious.

So which gate do we start with?