The Damascus Gate , also known as the Shekham Gate ( Hebrew שער שכם , Shaar Shekham ; Arabic. باب العامود , Bab al-Amud ) - the main gate of the Muslim quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem [1] , are considered one of the most beautiful. The gate faces north; located in the wall on the northwest side of the city, opposite the Arab quarter Sheikh Jarah in East Jerusalem . From here originates the highway to Nablus (Scheme), and from there - in past eras - to the Syrian capital Damascus ; this explains their modern European and Hebrew names [1] [2] . As for the Arabic names, Bab al-Nasr ( Arabic: باب النصر ) means “The Gate of Victory”, and Bab al-Amud means “The Gate of the Column” [1] . The last name, which is constantly in use starting from the earliest from the 10th century, preserves the memory of the details of the design of the gates of the Roman era (2nd century AD) [1] [3] .
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History
The gates were originally built during the Second Temple period; they served as the main entrance to the city from, at the earliest, I century BC. e. - the reign of the Governor Agrippa [4] . In the second century AD e., after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans under the emperor Hadrian ( 117 - 138 ), the gates were rebuilt. Adrian substantially increased them; its gate had three openings, of which only the eastern one was preserved. On the lintel of this aperture - under which you can go today - the name of the city is written during the reign of the Romans: Elia Capitolina [1] . In front of the gates of Hadrian was a Roman triumphal column that has not survived to this day, crowned with a statue of the emperor - its image can be seen on a mosaic map of the Holy Land of the VI century , on the floor of the Orthodox Church of St. George in Madaba ( Jordan ) [1] . In Arabic, the gate is still called the Gate of the Column . The remains of the gates of Hadrian were discovered during excavations carried out during the British mandate [1] .
Being one of the eight gates newly built in the 10th century, Damascus Gates are the only ones that have retained their name (Bab al-Amud) to our days [3] . The Crusaders called them the Gate of St. Stephen (in Latin Porta Sancti Stephani ), emphasizing their proximity to the place of martyrdom of St. Stephen , from the time of Empress Eudokia marked by the church and monastery [2] . Several stages of construction work were carried out at the gates in the early Ayyubid period (1183-1192), as well as during the reign of the Crusaders in Jerusalem - both at the beginning of the XII century and later in the XIII century [2] . In the story of 1523 about the visit of a Jewish traveler from Leghorn to Jerusalem, the name Bab el 'Amud is used , and the proximity of the gate to the Tsidkiyagu Cave is noted [5] .
The present gate was built in 1537 by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman the Magnificent [1] at the site of the gate of Hadrian.
Modernity
Damascus (Schema) gates are located between two towers, each of which is equipped with mounted loopholes . They are the central entrance to the Muslim quarter of the old city and the Arab market . Unlike the Jaffa Gate , the steps to which rise up, the steps to the Damascus Gate descend. The steps, located in the amphitheater, were built at the beginning of the 21st century by the Jerusalem City Hall. Until 1967, a turret with loopholes hung over the gate, but during the battles that took place in and around the Old Town during the Six Day War , it was damaged. In August 2011, Israel restored the turret - including its loophole - based on drawings from the early twentieth century, when the British Empire controlled Jerusalem. Eleven anchors attach the restored turret to the wall, and four stone blocks together form the top with embrasures [6] .
The gates are open for pedestrians; vehicles cannot enter them. On Friday morning, the main stream of praying Muslims goes through this gate towards the Temple Mount , on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, the gates are used by praying Jews going to the Wailing Wall . In addition, Damascus (Schema) gates are used by Christian pilgrims and tourists.
Gallery
Mosaic map of Madaba
Emperor Hadrian, bust
Damascus gate, to the right behind the wall are the domes of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher . Figure 1849
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 LaMar C. Berrett. Discovering the World of the Bible . - 3rd. - Cedar Fort, 1996. - P. 61. - ISBN 978-0-910523-52-3 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 Adrian J. Boas. Jerusalem in the time of the crusades: society, landscape, and art in the Holy City under Frankish rule . - Illustrated, reprint. - Routledge, 2001. - P. 53. - ISBN 978-0-415-23000-1 .
- ↑ 1 2 David S Margoliouth. Cairo, Jerusalem & Damascus: Three Chief Cities of the Egyptian Sultans . - Cosimo, Inc., 2010. - P. 329. - ISBN 978-1-61640-065-1 .
- ↑ Amelia Thomas, Michael Kohn, Miriam Raphael, Dan Savery Raz. Israel and the Palestinian Territories . - 6th, illustrated. - Lonely Planet, 2010. - P. 98. - ISBN 978-1-74104-456-0 .
- ↑ Palestine Exploration Fund. Quarterly statement, Issue 3 . - The Society, 1869. - P. 376.
- ↑ Mazori, Dalia . he: 'הכתר' של שער שכם בי-ם שוחזר מחדש (Hebrew) (16 August 2011). Date of treatment August 17, 2011. "עתה, בתום עבודות שימור נרחבות, שוחזר הכתר והמבקרים יכולים ליהנות מיפי השער במלוא הדרו.".
See also
- Wikimedia Commons has media related to Damascus Gate