On a sunny and crisp Jerusalem winter day, a moderate crowd of vendors with old-fashioned trolleys, women wearing headscarves, Christian priests, and passersby from all walks of life strolled through the iconic Damascus Gate, a primary access to the Old City of Jerusalem’s Muslim quarter that connects it with the Arab neighborhood of Bab az-Zahra.

Meanwhile, a few meters below street level, another gate was recently reopened to the public for the first time in years, offering a glimpse into the city’s multilayered history.

The newly inaugurated site dates back to the 2nd century CE, when Jerusalem was under Roman rule. The renovated site was dubbed “City Gate” by the East Jerusalem Development Company (also known by its Hebrew acronym PAMI), which developed it. Established in 1966 as a governmental body to restore the Yemin Moshe and Mamilla neighborhoods, PAMI has focused on tourist sites for the past three decades.

“Today, we are standing on the site of a 1,900-year-old gate that reveals the fascinating history of Jerusalem,” said PAMI CEO Beni Sasi. “We are all familiar with the Damascus Gate built by Suleiman, but fewer people know that under it are the remains of ancient Jerusalem.”

In the first half of the 2nd century CE — a few decades after the Romans destroyed the Jewish Temple, killing, enslaving, or expelling all Jewish residents of the city in 70 CE– Roman Emperor Hadrian toured the Eastern Provinces of the empire, including Judaea.

Hadrian decided to build a grandiose Roman city, Aelia Capitolina, on the ruins of Jerusalem.

Aelia Capitolina had four freestanding gates. The northern gate featured three arched openings. The new City Gate site includes the eastern arch, approximately 4.85 meters high. The opening leads to the inner Roman plaza and the eastern guard tower. The 12-meter-high structure of the tower is still preserved and offers access to the Ramparts Walk, a promenade atop the Old City’s walls that PAMI also manages.

“The colonia Aelia Capitolina [built this] by decree of the city Decurions [city councilors],” reads a Latin inscription still visible above the keystone of the arch.

As they pass through the gate, visitors are first........

© The Times of Israel