Palestine - Porte de Damas a Jerusalem (Plate 54) (Damascus Gate in Jerusalem)

Description

This engraving depicts one of the main gates, known as the "Damascus Gate," located in the northern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. This monumental gate was in heavy use during the Ottoman period and served a strategic function both as a crossroads for trade routes and as one of the main arteries leading to the inner sanctuary of the Holy Mosque (Haram al-Sharif). Since the ancient period, the road leading from here extended northward via Nablus (Shechem) to Damascus, the name "Damascus Gate" is directly related to the historical route. The current form of the gate was shaped during the construction of the Ottoman walls in 1537-1541 during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. However, layers of original gates dating to the Roman period and even to the reign of Hadrian (2nd century) can be found on the lower level. In 19th-century travel literature, the Damascus Gate was frequently described as both "the first contact of the traveler entering Jerusalem" and "a threshold space where daily life within and outside the city walls intersect."