Palestine - Vue a Napelouse, sur l’emplacement de l’ancienne Sichem (Halep Gate (The Medina Gate - St.Paul Gate), Antakya) (Plate 64)

Description

Although the engraving caption states that the scene is a view from the ancient city of Shechem in Nablus, the painting actually shows the Aleppo Gate, also known as the Medina Gate or St. Paul's Gate in Antioch. The ancient city of Antioch was entirely surrounded by walls, and five gates built within the castle walls provided access to the city: the Damascus Gate to the south, the Aleppo Gate (Medina-St. Paul's) to the north, the Iron Gate to the east, the Bridge Gate to the west, and the Dog Gate to the northwest. A drawing by the French artist Louis-François Cassas depicts the Aleppo Gate before its destruction. The puddle in the foreground of the engraving is noteworthy. This spring, located near the gate, was dedicated to Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great. Traveler Tinco Martinus Lycklama wrote about this spring in 1866: "We rested for about half an hour near a beautiful fountain called Uzun Pınar. It was outside the gate, in the shade of a huge plane tree. Under the plane tree, in a niche belonging to the old gatekeeper, was a Turkish coffeehouse owner." Travelers state that the Aleppo Gate was severely damaged in the earthquakes of 1822 and 1871, and that its stones were used by local people for various structures.