These gates, built in the 16th century by order of the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, were originally named after the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose tomb is located not far from this entrance to the Old City — on the Mount of Olives. However, later, the name Lions' Gate became attached to them because of the bas-relief decorating them with an image of the kings of beasts.
According to legend, the lions, like these gates, appeared in the city after Suleiman the Magnificent had a dream warning him that if he did not build a wall around the city, predators would attack him and the residents of Jerusalem.
Today, however, on the Lions' Gate you can notice traces of history closer to our own time — look carefully, and you will certainly find chips left by bullets in the masonry of the walls. These are traces of the battles for East Jerusalem that took place in this area in 1967.
