AJE - Jerusalem 3000 - The Zion Gate

Sha'ar Tzion

The Zion Gate

Other names:

Zion Gate;
Gate of the Prophet David (after King David);
Gate to the Jewish Quarter;

Origin of Name:

This gate stands on Har Zion from which it takes its name.
The Moslems believed that King David's tomb was located nearby hence the name Gate of the Prophet David.
During the Middle Ages it was called Gate to the Jewish Quarter.

Location/Direction:
The gate is set in the southern part of the Old City wall and faces south in the direction of Chevron.

Distinctive Feature:
One window on each side of the gateway distinguishes it from other gates. It also bears the scars of battle in its pitted stonework.

Design:
Sha'ar Tzion has an L-shaped internal structure.

Date:
Built by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1540.

According to fifteenth century travellers the key to the gate was held by the Jewish community of the Old City and a Jewish watchman was in charge of opening and closing the gate.

A metal plaque in Hebrew was fixed on to the Zion Gate in 1967. It reads: "The gates in the wall were broken open, the positions of the enemy were pulled down, and the city was cleared of mines by units of the Engineering Brigade - Central Command, June 1967."