Known in ancient times as "The Beautiful Gate," this is the oldest surviving gate in Jerusalem's Old City Walls.
The gate has been known variously, across time, as Sha'ar Harachamim (the Gate of Mercy) to Jews, as "The Golden Gate" to Christians and to Muslims as "The Gate to Eternal Life."
In Jewish tradition, the Shekhinah (Divine Presence) made itself known through this gate and, according to some, would appear here again on the arrival of the Messiah. In Christian tradition, some believe that it was through this gate that Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
It was sealed in 1541 by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.