The Jaffa Gate

Today the Jaffa Gate is never closed, but from the days of the Sultan Suleiman, in the 16th century, when it was built until the beginning of the 20th century, it was closed, to protect the citizens of Jerusalem from being plundered and murdered by vicious nomadic tribes that came from the nearby Judean Desert, a fearful place, known in the Bible as the wilderness. 

In fact Suleiman inscribed warnings to all who entered to be righteous and God fearing, in Arabic on two plaques, carved into the white limestone, of which the gate is built, at the left of the gate as one enter and above the opening. 

The Jews, placed their warning, known as the Mezuza, which is a scroll inside a box, fixed onto the right doorpost as one enters, with the Biblical warning, the Shema, “Hear o Israel the Lord is our God, the Lord is one”.

As an additional warning to those who enter the gate Suleiman also buried two of the city’s builders there, where all who enter the city can see their graves and be warned of the penalty for not being God fearing. Today the details of their crime are considered legendary, namely that they misused funds in building a smaller wall that left out Mt. Zion, than was originally planned.

Suleiman like, the great king Solomon, his namesake, is known as the law giver and the builder. One might include Herod the great as one of the builders of Jerusalem, but Herod’s existence is not mentioned in the Koran and is therefore in doubt among the Moslems, which religious persuasion Suleiman was.

Suleiman named the gate, Bab el Halil, after father Abraham, who was known as the friend (halil in Arabic, bab el Halil=the gate of the friend) because, according to both Jewish and Moslem legends, he used to welcome travelers to his tent in the desert, offer them food and rest and teach them about God.

This name, like the names of many places, must have developed naturally, because citizens of Jerusalem used to gather at Bab el Halil to make the pilgrimage to Hebron (the city of the friend) where Abraham lived and is buried, 30 km South of Jerusalem.

Naturally the Mosque at the gate is also named after Abraham.

Suleiman had made Jerusalem a safe place for people to live and many people in his empire, the Ottoman Empire, took advantage of this, especially Jews, who had always longed to return to Jerusalem, but had been fearful of living in a city unprotected by a wall.

The Jews called the gate, the Jaffa Gate because mostly they had journeyed to Jerusalem from the harbor of Jaffa, where they arrived in the Promised Land from Turkey and from Europe.

After the Crimean War of 1853 the Ottoman Empire sought more contact with Russia and Europe. Christians made pilgrimages to the holy places and their countries built churches and hostels to provide for them. 

With the increasing numbers of Jews, Christians and Moslems visiting Jerusalem the Jaffa Gate became the main entrance to Jerusalem. It also became the main point of departure for Journeys throughout the Middle East and Egypt.

There was always a hustle and bustle of carriages, horses and travelers coming and going to and from the Jaffa Gate.

Famous people entered Jerusalem here with great pomp and ceremony; in 1867 the Emperor Franz Joseph entered here, Kaizer Willhelm of Germany entered here in 1898, Theodore Herzl stood here, hoping to meet the Kaizer, General Allenby marched through the Jaffa Gate in 1917 to declare the end of Ottoman rule over Jerusalem and the beginning of the British Mandate.

Leon Gork Israel Tour Guide.
http://www.jerusalemwalks.com