Southern Wall:
Zion Gate, Dung Gate, and Hulda's Gates
(Double Gate, Triple Gate, Single Gate)
A run around the Old City Walls of Jerusalem begins here with a run along the Southern Wall of Jerusalem.
There are five gates along the South wall of the Old City of Jerusalem.
1) Zion Gate
2) Dung Gate
3) Three Gates at the temple mount: -the double gate
-the triple gate
-the single gate
Zion Gate.
Israeli soldiers main attack on the Old City in 1948 was at this gate.
Notice the bullet holes from 1948
Detail of the bullet holes.
The Dung Gate.
The Double Gate on the southern wall of the temple mount.
It is blocked shut today and also 3/4 covered by the Crusader building.
In the time of Herod's temple this southern entrance was the main entrance into the temple. The City of David (Jerusalem of David's day) is directly south.
Jews would climb these stairs, enter the gate, and go up a tunnel to the surface of the temple mount.
Details of the mantle of the gate.
Only half of one side of the double gate can be seen today.
Focus on the Wall to the Left of the Picture: Here the wall is seen going to the east of the Double Gate.
Another set of stairs (not seen here) lead up to the Triple Gate that also led to a second tunnel that brought people up to the temple mount.
Further down, the wall began to bulge out around 2001 AD due to Muslim construction under the temple mount.
"Mikveh" are ritual baths used by the worshippers before they entered the temple.
Here is a close up of the Triple Gate. These gates are 275 feet from the southeast corner (which would be to the right of this image).
The Double Gate and the Triple Gate are called the Huldah Gates. They divide the southern wall of the temple mount into three equal divisions.
The Muslims closed these gates to the temple mount years ago and built the Al-aqsa Mosque on top. This Mosque is the 3rd most holy site in the Muslim world.
The wall began to bulge so bad that they feared it would collapse.
100 feet from the southeast corner of the wall (seen in the bottom right of this image) is the single gate. This is most likely a gate added by the Crusaders.
This image shows the location of the Al-aqsa Mosque, the Hulda Gates and the Single Gate.
The dark rectangle marked "Entrance to Temple Mount" would be where Jews would have emerged on the temple mound after they entered the tunnel coming up from the Double Gate. There would have also been stairs and an entrance like this for the Triple Gate.
This image shows the connection of the tunnel with the Double gate and the entrance which is still there today on the temple mount and is called "Steps of Old El-Aqsa"
The Southern Stairs to the Temple Mount as seen from the Mt. of Olives.
Notice the building on the top of the wall with the green door is the El-Aqsa Mosque
The South East Corner of the Temple Mount as seen from the Mt. of Olives. Notice the two sets of steps leading up to the temple mount. The far left are to the Double Gate. The stairs closer to the middle lead to the Triple Gate.
Again the El-Aqsa Mosque can be seen on the Temple Mount (green door and arches).
The little structure in front of the Mosque in the very top right of the photo is the stair way leading out of the tunnel from the double gate.
The entire area south of the temple mound is covered with numerous ritual bathes or "mikveh". There are easily more than forty different baths in the immediate area.
The sign on the inside of this mikva is seen below.
"A Mikva (ritual bath) from the Second Temple Period"
More baths. These are to the west of the Double Gate and the Crusader building that covers the Double Gate.
A ritual bath ("mikveh")
More "mikveh"
With the incredible number of worshippers during feast there was a high need for many of these ritual baths.
