Gates of the Temple Mount
The Temple Mount in Jerusalem can be entered through eleven gates . There are also six locked gates.
The following list shows, counterclockwise, the gates that lead to the Temple Mount:
Open gates
The open gates all lead to the old city of Jerusalem , the Moroccan gate to the Jewish quarter , all others to the Muslim quarter .
Tribal gate
The tribal gate, also: gate of the tribes, (1) ( Arabic باب الأسباط Bāb al-Asbāṭ , Hebrew שַׁעַר הַשְּׁבָטִים Shaʿar ha-Shvatīm , German 'Gate of the Tribes' in both languages, is located on the northeast corner of the Temple Mount. ⊙ Even Herod the Great had around the temple square porticos built. These were destroyed in the Jewish-Roman war in 70 during battles between Roman attackers and Jewish defenders.
In the pillared hall at the tribal gate, which was built later, individual ashlar stones of the Herodian masonry are still preserved. Likewise, niches in the south wall of the Antonia rock point to the Herodian colonnade and the also destroyed early Islamic colonnade.
In 985, al-Muqaddasī designated the Gate of the Tribes as the Gate of the Sons of Israel . The Crusaders called this gate the Gate of Paradise . They assumed that the waters of the source described in Ezekiel chapter 47 verse 1 flowed through this gate to the east. When the Ayyubids re-Islamized all names after Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, the gate was given its current name, Gate of the Tribes . Before, either the Gate of Darkness or the Gate of Forgiveness had carried this name. The name Tor of the Tribes refers to the Twelve Tribes of Israel .
Atonement gate
The gate of forgiveness, also gate of forgiveness, (2) , Arabic باب الحطة Bab al-Hitta , Hebrew שער הסליחה Sha'ar ha-Slicha , is on the north side of the Temple Mount. ⊙ The Gate of Forgiveness was created in early Islamic times. It resembles the gate of darkness. As with the Gate of Darkness, the eastern of the two round arches dates from the Umayyad period and received its present form in the Aijubid period. Of Suleiman the Magnificent of the gate was a small fountain niche added to the east. Originally, the gate of forgiveness meant a southern gate of the western wall, probably the Barclay gate.
The name gate of forgiveness goes back to sura 2 verse 58 (according to another number: 2.59) in which it says:
«وَادخُلُوا البابَ سُجَّدًا وَقولوا حِطَّةٌ نَغفِر لَكُم خَطاياكُم»
wad'chulu al-bab sujadan wakulu hitta nagh'fir lakum chatajakum
"And enter through the gate, prostrating, and say: Forgiveness , We forgive you your sins"
In Herodian times there was only one gate in the north wall. This gate was the only one that led to the Temple Mount at ground level; all other gates had staircases to be overcome. Therefore, this gate was used to bring sacrificial animals and required materials to the Temple Mount. Also, through this gate, priests who had become unclean from ejaculation left the holy area to wash.
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Darkness Gate
The gate of darkness, also: gate of darkness, (3) , Arabic باب العتم Bāb al-ʿAtam , Hebrew השער החשוך ha-Sha'ar ha-Chaschoch , (other names: Bab al-Malik Faisal = King Faisal Gate, Bab al-Mu'azmiyya, Bab ad-Dawadariya), is located on the north side of the Temple Mount. ⊙ The round arch of the hypostyle hall in front of the Gate of Darkness comes from the Umayyad period. Today's gate was built in the Aijubid period. There is also an inscription on the first pillar east of the gate from the Aijubid period. The dimensions of the temple mount are recorded on this inscription. Zawija al-Aminija was built between 1329 and 1330, and its simple facade is located above the gate passage.
Bani Ghanim Gate
The Bani Ghanim Gate (4) , Arabic باب الغوانمة Bāb al-Ghawānima , Hebrew שער בני ע'ואנימה Shaʿar Bnej Ġawānīma , is located on the northwest corner of the Temple Mount. ⊙ The name of the gate goes back to an al-Ghawanima family living in the neighborhood. This family descended from Sheikh Ghanim ibn Ali ibn Husain, who was an officer of Saladin. Today's gate was built or renewed in the early days of Ottoman rule. A minaret in the northwest corner of the Temple Mount from the Umayyad period was replaced by a new building in 1298. It is called the Ghawanima Minaret . In the area of the Ghawanima Gate, the north-western rock edge of the Temple Mount is visible.
Council Gate
The Council Gate (5) , Arabic بباب المجلس Bab al-Majlis , Hebrew שער המשגיח Sha'ar ha-Maschgi'ach , is on the west side of the Temple Mount. ⊙ Other names are: Arabic باب الناظر Bab an-Nazir 'gate of the inspector' and Bab al-Habs (= gate of the prison). In the street Tariq Bab an-Nazir, which leads to the gate of the same name, there were buildings that belonged to the overseers of the haram and served as prisons. The Bab an-Nazir was built in its current form with the semicircular arch in the 13th century. Originally it probably goes back to the Umayyad times. An inscription affixed to both gate leaves says that the gate wasrenewedunder al-Muʿazzam , a nephew of Saladin in the 13th century. The gate chamber of the council gate houses the entrance to the Waqf .
Iron gate
The iron gate (6) , Arabic باب الحديد Bāb al-Hadīd , Hebrew שער הברזל Scha'ar ha-Barsel , is on the west side of the Temple Mount. ⊙ Bab al-Hadid was first mentioned in 1345 by the Arab historian Shihab al-Umari (1300–1384), but it probably dates back to pre-Mameluk times. Felix Fabri said that it was the iron gate of the prison from which Simon Peter was miraculously freed, as told in the Acts of the Apostles of Luke chapter 12, verse 10. The Bab al-Hadid is a flat, protruding niche portal. From the iron gate you get through a narrow passage to the small west wall , which is located north of the gate.
Gate of the Cotton Merchants
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The gate of the cotton merchants (7) , Arabic باب القطانين Bāb al-Qattānīn , Hebrew שער מוכרי הכותנה Sha'ar Mochri ha-Kutna , is on the west side of the Temple Mount. ⊙ The gate of the cotton traders is the most magnificent of the western gates, but can only be viewed from the inside as it is locked. The Bab al-Qattanim connects the cotton merchants' market with the temple square. It is almost exactly opposite the Dome of the Rock. The porticoes to the north and south of the gate were built in 1335 and 1336 together with the gate. In 1928 and 1929, yokes 3 to 7 north of the gate were renewed. The cotton merchants' gate is crowned by a high stalactite vault.
Ablution gate
The ablution gate (8) , also: gate of purification, Arabic باب الطهارة Bāb at-Tahara , Hebrew שער הטהרה Scha'ar ha-Tohora , is on the west side of the Temple Mount. ⊙ The cleaning gate leads to a dead end street with public toilets and a washing facility. Here the believers could perform the ablutions prescribed before prayer . The washing facility was donated in 1183 by al-Malik al-ʿĀdil Saif ad-Dīn Abū Bakr ben Aiyūb to Saladin's brother.
Chain gate
The chain gate (11) , Arabic باب السلسلة Bāb as-Silsila , Hebrew שער השלשלת Sha'ar ha-Shalelhet is on the west side of the Temple Mount. ⊙ The chain gate and the quiet gate form a double gate. The chain gate is located at the end of the chain gate street. In early Islamic times the double gate was called the David Gate. During the time of the crusaders, the double gate was called the beautiful gate, in Latin: porta preziosa and porta speciosa. It was equated with the beautiful door of Acts chapter 3, verse 2 and 10, at which Peter and John healed a paralyzed man. When the names in Jerusalem were re-Islamicized after the Crusader period, the northern archway was named "Gate of the Indigenous People (God)" and the southern archway was named "Chain Gate". The name chain gate refers to the chain dome that is reached via this gate.
The Kettentorstraße runs over the Wilsonbogen. Wilson Arch and the west wall of the Temple Square were built under Herod the Great. At this point the Hasmonean northern city wall met the western wall of the Temple Square. There was probably a gate here that gave access to the Temple Square and the city even before Herod's time. A bridge at the intersection of the First Wall and the western columned hall of the Temple Square is already described by Flavius Josephus . This even mentions several gates that were at this point.
In early Islamic times, the gate system was restored here on the remaining ruins. It was decorated with glass mosaics from 970 to 1047. Nāsir-i Chusrau describes this gate. In the Aijubid period from 1187 to 1198 it was expanded into the mighty double gate that is preserved today and the Ottomans raised it by one floor.
Maghrebine Gate
The Maghrebine Gate (12) , ( Arabic باب المغاربة Bāb al-Maghāriba , Hebrew שער המוגרבים Scha'ar ha-Mughrabim ) is on the west side of the Temple Mount. ⊙ When the Barclay Gate was walled up at the beginning of the 14th century, the Maghrebine Gate was built as a replacement in 1313 and 1314. This gate enabled the ascent from the Maghreb district to the Temple Mount.
The gate takes its name from the Moroccan Quarter , which existed in Jerusalem's old town until 1967 . It was right next to the gate. A ramp was raised from the rubble of the destroyed district that led to the Maghrebiner Gate. When this ramp slipped in 2004 due to an earthquake and various weather events, it was replaced by a wooden structure in 2007.
The gate can only be reached via this makeshift bridge and is the only access to the Temple Mount for non-Muslims.
Locked gates
Golden Gate
The Golden Gate (19) ( Hebrew שער הרחמים Sha'ar haRachamim "Gate of Mercy"; Arabic باب الرحمة al-Bāb adh-Dhahabī , "Golden Gate", with additional names for the two portals: Bāb ar-Rahma , gracegate, for the southern and Bāb at-Tauba , penitential gate, for the northern) is located on the east wall and is thus at the same time one of the city gates of the old town. The gate wasbricked upimmediately after the reconstruction by Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent . ⊙
Calm gate
The calm gate (9) , also gate of the presence of God, Arabic باب السكينة Bāb as-Sakīna , is on the west side of the Temple Mount. ⊙ The quiet gate and the chain gate form a double gate. The gate of God's presence is locked from outside. Inside (on the Temple Mount side) it has a vestibule with a place of worship with prayer niches. According to the legend, the ark of the covenant was seized by angels and placed on this spot. The Arabic word Sakīna corresponds to the Hebrew Shechina . The Sakīna is mentioned in several verses of the Koran. Verse 248 from Sura 2 (according to another verse count: 2.249) is specifically related to the Ark of the Covenant, which is carried by the angels.
"وقال لهم نبيهم إن آية ملكه أن يأتيكم التابوت فيه سكينة من ربكم وبقية مما ترك آل موسى وآل هارون تحمله الملائكة إن في ذلك لآية لكم إن كنتم مؤمنين"
wa-qala lahum nabiyyuhum'inna'āyata mulkihī'an ya'tiyakumu t-tābūtu Fihi sakīnatun min rabbikum wa-baqiyyatun mimma Taraka'ālu Mūsā wa-'ālu Haruna taḥmiluhu l-malā'ikatu'inna fī dhālika la-'āyatan lakum'in Kuntum Mu'minīn
“And their prophet said to them:“ The sign of his rule is that the ark of the covenant will come to you; in it is inner rest from your Lord and a remnant of what the Mūsās and Hārūn's clans left behind, carried by angels. Truly there should be a sign for you in it, if you are believers. ""
In early Islamic times, the neighboring Warrentor was probably called the "Gate of God's Presence". Here the Jewish tradition was continued, which speaks of a permanent presence of God on the western wall of the temple square.
Single gate
The single gate (17) is located in the south wall and used to lead to the area known as Solomon's stables . ⊙
Huldah gates
Arabic: Bāb Chulda
There are two different gates, both of which are on the south wall. The two goals are:
- The double gate (15) , partially covered by a tower from the time of the crusaders. ⊙
- The triple gate (16) , east of the double gate. ⊙
Barclay Gate
The Barclay gate (13) is located below the Maghrebiner gate. ⊙ It is one of the original gates of the Temple Mount. It was named after James Turner Barclay , a Christian missionary in Jerusalem. He discovered it from the inside on the Temple Mount in 1848. Today the room is closed, access is only allowed with the consent of the Waqf . After the Six Day War , the Israeli Ministry of Religion and Prof. Benjamin Mazar , who led the excavations outside the south wall of the Temple Mount, planned to uncover the gate. Both Jewish and Muslim religious leaders prevented this.
Warren Gate
The Warren Gate (9) was first described in the 19th century by the British archaeologist Charles Warren . It is located about 46 m after the start of the Western Wall Tunnel . ⊙
Funeral gate
The Burial Gate (18) Arabic باب الجنائز Bab al-Jana'iz 'Gate of Burial' also: Arabic باب البراق Bab al-Buraq ' Buraq Gate', Hebrew שער המזרח Scha'ar ha-Misrach , German 'Gate of the East' is a difficult to recognize, possibly improvised gate in the east wall a little south of the Golden Gate. ⊙
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Max Küchler: Jerusalem: A handbook and study travel guide to the Holy City (Places and Landscapes of the Bible, Vol. IV, 2) , Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; Edition: 2nd, completely revised edition. (January 22, 2014), ISBN 978-3-525-50173-3 , pp. 131-134, 146, 164, 173, 205-213, 534-537, 743-745
- ↑ Koran at al-quran.info. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ↑ Koran at islam.de. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ↑ Baruch, Yuval
- ^ The gate of the Jews , Nadav Shragai, Haaretz , accessed October 6, 2015
- ^ Warren's Gate , Western Wall Heritage Foundation website
- ^ Charles Wilson: Quarterly Statement for 1879 . Palestine Exploration Fund, London 1879 (accessed September 24, 2015): "Over the doorway of the postern there is a sort of lintel, but there are no regular jambs, and the whole has more the appearance of a hole broken through the masonry and afterwards roughly filled up than that of a postern in a city wall; still it probably marks the site of Mejr-ed-Din 's Gate of Burak. "
See also
literature
- Andreas Kaplony: The Ḥaram of Jerusalem, 324-1099: temple, Friday Mosque, area of spiritual power. Steiner Verlag Stuttgart 2002 ( Freiburg Islam Studies , Volume 22).
- Myriam Rosen-Ayalon: The early islamic documents of al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf . Qedem. Monographs of the Institute of Archeology. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Volume 28, Jerusalem 1989. Chapter 6: The gates of al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf, pp. 33-45.
Map with all coordinates: