Dung Gate

Dung Gate is one of the gates in the southern wall of Jerusalem’s Old City, located on the wall that faces the Temple Mount and the Jewish Quarter. It forms part of the set of gates associated with the Ottoman walls built in the 16th century.

The gate provides direct access from the southern Old City into the area of the Western Wall plaza and the nearby archaeological area known as the City of David, and is frequently used by visitors heading to those sites. It is a practical entry point for tour groups and for vehicles bringing people to the Kotel area.

The gate sits on a site used for city access since antiquity; the present alignment belongs to the Ottoman wall system constructed in the 1500s. The name “Dung Gate” appears in older sources and is also known in Hebrew tradition; the gate and its immediate approaches were altered in the 20th century to accommodate vehicular access and larger flows of visitors.

The gate stands in the southern section of Jerusalem’s Old City walls, adjacent to the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter. It is within the walled Old City precinct, a short walk from major Old City sites and from the modern city outside the walls.

• Access: Provides one of the closest pedestrian and vehicular approaches to the Western Wall plaza and the southern approaches to the Temple Mount.
• History note: Originally part of the 16th century Ottoman city walls built under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent; the gate area has been modified in the 20th century to handle modern traffic.