View of ashlar stone masonry on the south side of the Bab al-Zahabi
View of the stone masonry of the Bab al-Zahabi (Golden Gate). Though much contested, the gate may be safely assumed to be contemporaneous with the building of the Dome of the Rock during Abd al-Malik’s time. In its present appearance it also owes a lot to the Ottoman period. The Bab al-Zahabi is one of largest gates of the Haram. Its history is much contested, with estimates of its origins ranging from Herodian to Umayyad times. It is generally accepted now that the gate’s construction dates from the Umayyad period, though it was built on the site of a much older gate. The Golden Gate is also of religious significance: in Judaic tradition it is the gate through which the Messiah will enter at the end of times, and so too for the Muslims. Christians believe it is the gate through which Christ entered Jerusalem on the Sunday before his Crucifixion (Palm Sunday). The gate has been sealed for a long time, so that no extant accounts mention it ever being open.
Photograph created 1960. Photograph processed August 1960. Formerly cataloged as B01.060. Notes written on the slide or index: Golden Gate.
