The largest of Jerusalem’s seven gates, Damascus Gate—known in Arabic as Bab al-Amud (“Gate of the Column”)—is the northern portal through which many Palestinians enter the Old City. For centuries, it has stood as a threshold where history, faith, and daily life converge. Beneath its arch, this iconic gate has welcomed emperors, pilgrims, merchants, and armies. Its enduring walls have borne witness to the rise and fall of empires, the flow of cultures, and repeated attempts to conquer Jerusalem. In many ways, the story of Damascus Gate is the story of the city itself.
Brief History
Damascus Gate was built atop the remains of a Roman-era gate constructed during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, around 135 CE, when Jerusalem was reestablished as the Roman colony of Aelia Capitolina.1 The modern structure was completed in 1537 under the rule of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, as part of his comprehensive reconstruction of Jerusalem’s walls between 1535 and 1542.2
While the exact architect of Damascus Gate is unknown, it was built during the lifetime of renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. The gate features a prominent central arch flanked by two imposing towers and adorned with decorative stonework. It preserved the original Roman alignment, continuing to serve as the main northern entrance into the Old City.
By the 19th and early 20th centuries, Damascus Gate had become a focal point of Jerusalem’s urban life. The surrounding plaza developed into a lively commercial and social zone, for trade, transit, communal gatherings, and defense.3
During the Colonial British Mandate (1917–48), the gate was preserved and extensively documented by archaeologists and administrators.
After the 1948 Arab Israeli War, East Jerusalem, including Damascus Gate, came under Jordanian control until the 1967 War (also known as the Naksa), when Israel captured and occupied East Jerusalem.4
Since then, the gate has remained under Israeli control, though it continues to serve a predominantly Palestinian population in the surrounding neighborhoods. Its wide steps and open plaza are often filled with vendors, locals, and visitors, especially during major religious and cultural occasions—from the holy month of Ramadan to Christmas—when the gate’s plaza comes alive as a communal space for gatherings and cultural expression.
A Surveillance Checkpoint
Damascus Gate, however, has become a site for surveillance and control. A dense network of CCTV cameras, police checkpoints, and frequent patrols subject Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem to continuous and visible monitoring by Israeli police. For those who pass through, identity checks and inspections are an inescapable part of daily life. During times of political unrest or heightened tension, access to the area is also heavily restricted.
The photos included above explore life around Jerusalem Gate—a place that, for many Palestinians, is not merely a passage to the Old City but a site of collective memory, community gathering, steadfast belonging, and the visible constraints of occupation.