From Community Space to Surveillance Chokepoint: Jerusalem’s Ancient Damascus Gate Transformed

Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate, long a community space for Palestinians, has become a focal point of surveillance and police aggression.

Damascus Gate, the English name for Bab al-Amud (built 1536–38), is one of the seven open gates in the ancient wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. The seven gates are portals or entry passages into the walled space of the Old City. Damascus Gate, which the Ottoman Empire’s master architect Sinan is believed to have designed, is on the northwest wall. It is the largest gate and stands at the lowest geographic point in the Old City. People can travel to Syria’s capital of Damascus from the gate, hence the name in English. It is the main gate Palestinians use to enter the Old City and was traditionally a hub of Palestinian East Jerusalem.

Hajj Abu Masoud, 78, who hails from Haret al-Sa‘diyya, spoke bitterly as he leaned on his walking stick. “I would sit at the gate near the famous newspaper salesperson Ibrahim Shabaneh, who was often referred to as the ‘guardian of Damascus Gate’; he used to distribute newspapers for free to young men and women whom he saw had a passion for reading and whose literary and journalistic skills he wanted to encourage,” Abu Masoud said.2

Abu Masoud also recalled the Nigerian peanut saleswoman who was often next to farmers selling mint, sage, figs, grapes, and the latest produce. “These women dressed in their authentic folkloric outfits would come from the nearby villages with the latest produce of the land.”

Abu Masoud remained silent for a minute as he saw Israeli soldiers searching the pockets of a young man. “Now what I see at Damascus Gate are well-armed Israeli soldiers enjoying terrorizing and insulting a young person for no other reason than he is Arab, and me, an older man who has been prevented from sitting near the gate to catch my breath,” he said. “Instead, they put metal dividers at the location where older people used to be able to rest.”

Abu Masoud reflected on the importance and ambiance of Damascus Gate during Jordanian times when Jordan was in control of East Jerusalem between 1948 and 1967. “It was a pleasure to go through it and discover a new world inside; it was a mix of people and cars all moving naturally and not like it is now where people move out of fear and concern,” he said. “This is the way I feel every time I go through Bab al-Amud.”

Tensions have been on the rise around Damascus Gate for a while now. When the British Mandate went into force following World War I, the British removed all buildings that had been erected just outside the Old City wall, especially in the Jaffa Gate area, another of the seven gates open in the wall of the Old City of Jerusalem, known in Arabic as Bab al-Khalil. They wanted the beauty of the city’s wall to be noticed by all.

In recent years, the Israeli-run municipality also removed the trees that had provided shade to people near the wall and the gate and replaced them with cement guard towers that Israelis use to continually monitor those entering and leaving the Old City through this gate. This unwelcome addition was installed after Israeli soldiers were attacked, even though the Palestinians who attacked the soldiers were immediately killed, and many other Palestinians have been killed in this manner on multiple occasions.

In 2017, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that “Some killers have gathered around this place, and they are committing their operations again and again. This place has become a symbol of terrorism.” He added, “For this reason, I called for a plan to be prepared and changes made, to enhance security and reduce the freedom of action of the attackers.”3

Following his statements, Israeli police set up three glassed-in guard towers in and above the gate offering a watchpoint over the entire plaza and gate area and installed dozens of surveillance cameras. The current situation surrounding Damascus Gate is not how it once was.

For centuries, Damascus Gate was a main community space for Palestinians of Jerusalem. It was the most important door to the entrance of the Old City and a vibrant place that welcomed people of all religions and backgrounds. Its architecture and decoration are extremely beautiful and rich. It is one of the most prominent examples of architecture, not only in Jerusalem but in all Palestinian cities.

Yousef, who has frequently written about the Ottoman city wall and its gates, revealed that Damascus Gate is the only gate among the gates of Jerusalem that has been excavated, and it has attracted the attention of scholars and travelers. Based on the archaeological and architectural remains that have been discovered, and the available historical information, Damascus Gate has undergone architectural development.

Anyone who looks at Damascus Gate feels that its stones are warm and full of life; it speaks to all those who pass through it, welcoming them and chiding them for being away from it for a long time. This reflects Jerusalem, the great city filled with people with warm hearts just like the stones of its wall and the tenderness of its door.