Walls of Jerusalem, Defensive walls in Old City, Israel.
The Walls of Jerusalem are limestone fortifications in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel, stretching 4018 meters and rising up to 12 meters high. Seven gates and 34 watchtowers are distributed along the entire circuit and still shape the cityscape today.
Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I ordered the construction of these fortifications between 1535 and 1542 to protect the city from external threats. The work was completed in just a few years and has shaped the appearance of the Old City ever since.
The gates bear names like Damascus or Jaffa, pointing to old trade routes that once began here. Each entrance has its own story and still connects different quarters of the Old City, walked by pilgrims and visitors from around the world.
Visitors can walk sections of the ramparts between Jaffa Gate and Damascus Gate in the north, as well as between Jaffa Gate and Zion Gate in the south. The paths offer views over the Old City and surrounding quarters, but are not continuously accessible for wheelchairs.
The walls contain stone blocks from different eras, including remnants of structures built during the Second Temple period about 2000 years ago. Some of these older stones were reused during the Ottoman reconstruction and are still visible today.
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