Lions' Gate
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The Lions' Gate (Hebrew: שער האריות, also St. Stephen's Gate or Sheep Gate) is located in the Old City Walls of Jerusalem and is one of seven Gates in Jerusalem's Old City Walls.
Located in the east wall, the entrance marks the beginning of the traditional Christian observance of the last walk of Jesus from prison to execution, the Via Dolorosa. Near the gate’s crest are four figures of lions, two on the left and two on the right. Legend has it that Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent placed the figures there 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 came through this gate during the Six-Day War of 1967 and unfurled the Israeli flag above the Temple Mount.
The Lions' Gate is not to be confused with the Zion Gate in the Old City Wall, located in the south, leading to the Jewish and Armenian Quarters.
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 (2.8 miles) and rise to a height of 5–15 meters (16–49 feet), with a thickness of 3 meters (10 feet).[1] Altogether, the Old City walls contain 43 surveillance towers and 11 gates, seven of which are presently open.
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| Jerusalem Gates |
| Damascus Gate | Dung Gate | Golden Gate | Herod's Gate | Jaffa Gate | Lions' Gate | New Gate | Zion Gate |
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