Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, Walled old city in East Jerusalem

The Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls is a 0.9-square-kilometre walled area in East Jerusalem, enclosed by walls built from 1535 to 1542 under Suleiman the Magnificent: about 4.5 km long, 5 to 15 m high and 3 m thick, with 43 watchtowers and 11 gates, 7 of them open. Inside, four uneven quarters—Muslim, Christian, Armenian and Jewish—surround the Temple Mount, home to the Dome of the Rock and the Qibli Mosque.

The walls as they stand today were built in the mid-1500s and surround an area inhabited for thousands of years before that time. Beneath the current streets lie remains of earlier settlements and periods of rule that shaped the character of the place.

The place houses holy sites for Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Armenians who worship and gather there daily, each maintaining deep spiritual connections to their surroundings. Visitors can observe pilgrims of different faiths sharing the narrow streets and sacred spaces, creating a layered spiritual geography within the walls.

The walls hold eleven gates, but only seven are open: Jaffa, New, Damascus, Herod, Lion, Dung and Zion. The New Gate was cut in 1889 for access to the Christian Quarter and was blocked during the 1948–1967 division. Until 1887 every gate was shut before sunset and reopened at sunrise.

The ground beneath the streets holds multiple layers of different periods that archaeologists uncover when excavating, revealing several phases of habitation stacked one above another. These hidden structures tell stories of civilizations that lived here long before the current walls were built.