Huldah Gate in Jerusalem

July 14, 2011

There was a pair of gates located on the south side of the temple mount, known as the Huldah gates. The gate to the west was a double arched gate; the one to the east was triple-arched. The double-arch gate is mostly hidden by a medieval structure. Traces of the eastern gate are still visible. The gates were previously adorned with grand decorated capitols.

Triple-arched Huldah Gate at southern wall of temple mount. Photo ©Leon Mauldin.

Each of the two gates served as a passage way to the temple, entering from the south. The Huldah gates were excavated in the ’70s by Meir Ben-Dov among other Israeli archaeologists. This area is currently a portion of the Southern Wall Archaeological Park.

In our photo above you can see how the triple-arched gate has been blocked and assimilated into the wall.

The name Huldah comes from the Old Testament prophetess, who lived during the days of Judah’s good king Josiah, when the lost book of the law of the LORD was found: “So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shullam son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the supervisor of the wardrobe. (She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District)” (2 Kings 22:14, NET).

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Zion Gate in Jerusalem

July 12, 2011

We continue to explore some of the gates of Jerusalem. The present walls of the city were constructed by in AD 1537-1540. The walls were built upon previous foundations, at times utilizing portions of the older walls. Average height is 34-38 feet.

Zion Gate may be seen in our map below designated by number 7:

Old City Map. Wikimedia Commons.

Our photo below shows the Zion Gate:

Zion Gate. Located on SW wall of Jerusalem. Photo ©Leon Mauldin.

The gate serves as entrance to the Armenian as well as Jewish Quarters. Below and to the east of the walls at this point is situated the ancient city of David, Mt. Zion. The gate is also called David’s Gate.

The hundreds of pock-marks were made by bullets in the 1948 Jewish War of Independence.

Zion's Gate. Bullet marks left from Jewish War of Independence 1948. Photo ©Leon Mauldin.

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St. Stephen’s Gate/The Lion Gate

July 11, 2011

We continue to look at some of Jerusalem’s gates. Our two previous posts have featured the Golden Gate, and Herod’s Gate. On the eastern wall, just north of the Golden Gate, is St. Stephen’s Gate. It is so named because of the tradition that Stephen, the first martyr of the church (Acts 6-7), was stoned to death at this location just outside the city walls.

St. Stephen's Gate. Traditional location of Stephen's Martyrdom. Photo ©Leon Mauldin.

This gate is also called the Lion’s Gate because of the four lions, two on each side, that adorn the gate.

Closer view of lions adorning the gate. Photo ©Leon Mauldin.

This past March someone made the suggestion to take a group photo of the men in my tour group.

Men in March '11 Bibleland's Tour in front of gate. Photo ©Leon Mauldin.

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