The Zion Gate in Jerusalem, which is also known as David’s Gate, acquired its name from the belief that King David’s tomb is on Mt. Zion. The gate is found along the southern wall of the old city in front of Mount Zion and Hebron. In 1540 AD, the Ottomans built the gate. In the gate, you would come across a stone plate honoring the person who designed it by the name of Sultan Suleyman Iben Salim. The gate is only opened during daytime and well-protected by guards.
Zion gate is one of the eight gates in the walls of the old city in Jerusalem that leads to the Jewish quarter. A trusted Jewish member of the community is only allowed to hold the key of the gate due to its proximity. Lepers gathered around a certain area near the gate, therefore it was closed in the 19th century.
During the War of Independence in 1948, the Palmach forces were able to reach the Jewish quarter but were blocked by the Jordanians. They were left with no choice but to draw back and evacuate the quarter in the end. The bullet holes and weapons fire that encircled the stones, which were brought by the war, are even noticeable nowadays.
Now, the Zion Gate in Jerusalem is one of the central gates directing to the Jewish quarter.
The Zion gate started its reconstruction in 2008 and was finished in September of the same year. At the present, both pedestrians and vehicles conveniently use the gate because of the two-way vehicular traffic that passes through the gate. Cars are allowed to exit but not enter the Old City by this gate.
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