Jerusalem - Damascus Gate

The Damascus Gate serves as a link between the newer districts to the north and the Old City to the south of Jerusalem. This is the starting-point of the road which runs by way of Nablus (Shekhem) to Damascus, and accordingly the first section of the road is known to the Arabs as Nablus Road and to the Jews as Shekhem Road. The gate itself is Sha'ar Shekhem (Shekhem Gate) to the Jews and Bab el-Amud (Gate of the Column), after a column from which the distance to Damascus was measured, to the Arabs. The Damascus Gate, built in 1537, is the finest and most splendid of the gates built in the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. With its two flanking towers and decorative battlements it is no less striking for its aesthetic qualities than for its defensive strength.