Herod's
Gate In Jerusalem Reopened
Herod's Gate, the iconic gate leading
into the
Muslim Quarter of the Old City of
Jerusalem,
has reopened after a four-month
restoration
project. The Herod's Gate conservation
project
was spearheaded by the Israel
Antiquities
Authority Conservation Department, and
included extensive cleaning of the
wall's
facades and stones and the removal of
dirt,
particles and moisture penetrating
into the
fabric of the city wall. The
electrical and
water infrastructures around the
gate's
facades were also removed and
reinstalled.
"The newly restored Herod's Gate will
bring new life to one of the most
famous
entrances into the Old City of
Jerusalem and
provide some extra excitement for
travelers
arriving in Israel this summer," says
Arie Sommer, Israel commissioner for
Tourism,
North and South America. Built in the
16th
century by the Sultan Suleiman the
Magnificent, Herod's Gate, also known
as the
Gate of the Flowers, was originally a
patrolled gate restricting entrance to
people
and unharnessed animals. An opening
was
breached in the gate's northern façade
during
the end of the nineteenth century,
which
provided direct passage into the Old
City of
Jerusalem. Remains of the sentry post
that
protected the original entrance can
still be
seen in the gate's eastern façade.