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Lions Gate (Jerusalem)

The Lion Gate

The " lions "to the left of the door are actually leopards

The Lion Gate viewed from an angle very unusual

The Lion Gate is the only door that is open on the East side of the wall of the Old City of Jerusalem , facing the Mount of Olives.

Names

Its name of "Lion Gate" comes from two pairs of lions that distinguishes the two sides of the door. According to legend, the "Lion Gate" was given by Suleiman the Magnificent (builder of the walls of the Old City), which was threatened by his father in a dream of being eaten by lions if not accelerating the construction of the wall.

The Arabs called the "Gateway to the Tribes," the Children of Israel who have been accustomed, according to tradition, to pass to get to the Temple.

It is also called "door- Saint-tienne or "Saint Stephen", named after the first martyr of Christendom. The tomb of the latter was identified for a moment near the door, in the valley of Jehoshaphat. A few hundred meters outside the walls, is the Orthodox church Saint-Etienne.

History

It is through this gate that the paratroopers of the IDF entered the Old City during the Six Day War. The road up to the door of the Lions since the Kidron Valley was named "Maale Mota Gur" in honor of: Mordechai Gur who led troops during the final assault against the Jordanian Jerusalem. Colonel Motta Gur then uttered the historic phrase famous: the Temple Mount is in our hands.