The Golden Gate

Facing the Mount of Olives on the eastern side of the Old City of Jerusalem is the Golden Gate.  This gate is anciently known as Beautiful Gate and is the oldest of the current gates in Jerusalem’s Old City walls.  The Bible teaches that Jesus passed through this gate many times while he was in Jerusalem.  It is located in the middle of the eastern side of the Temple Mount.

A small part of the cemetery surrounding the Golden Gate

The Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent sealed off the Golden Gate in 1544.  While this may have been for defensive reasons, in Jewish tradition this is the gate through which the Messiah will enter Jerusalem.  To prevent this, the Muslims sealed the gate during the rule of Suleiman.  The Ottomans also built a cemetery in front of the gate believing that Elijah, the precursor to Messiah, would not be able to pass through the Golden Gate and thus the Messiah would not come.  Since Elijah is a descendant of Aaron, making him a priest, and since a priest is not permitted to enter a cemetery, this was to frustrate their belief.

The view of the Mount of Olives from the Golden Gate

Touching the outside Eastern Wall of the Temple Mount

The southeast outside corner of the Old City

Inside view of the Golden Gate