Lions’ Gate

The lion’s gate (Hebrew: שער האריות) is one of seven open Gates in Jerusalem’s Old City Walls.
The gate is located in the east wall in the Old City Walls of Jerusalem.

The game’s name is derived from a dream of the builder Suleiman.F our lions decorate the gate’s facade: two on the left and two on the right.

The entrance of the gate marks the beginning of the traditional Christian observance of the last walk of Jesus from prison to execution, the Via Dolorosa.

The magnificent walls of Jerusalem’s Old City were built by the Ottoman Empire under the direct supervision of Sultan Suleiman in 1542. The walls stretch for approximately 4.5 kilometers and rise to a height of 5-15 meters, with a thickness of 3 meters.

Altogether, the Old City walls contain 43 surveillance towers and 11 gates, seven of which are presently open. According to legend, the lion figures were placed there by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent because he believed that if he did not construct a wall around Jerusalem he would be killed by lions.

Israeli paratroops from the 55th Paratroop Brigade entered East Jerusalem through this gate during the Six-Day War of 1967 and unfurled the Israeli flag above the Temple Mount.

Credit :
asiaexplorers.com