Golden Gate (Jerusalem) Building

Address: Eastern wall, Old City of Jerusalem (Golden/Golden Gate / Gates of Mercy) - sealed and not accessible

The Golden Gate, also called the Gate of Mercy, is a sealed portal in the eastern wall of the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem’s Old City. The present visible gate structure dates to early medieval periods and has been closed for centuries.

Architectural elements visible today show phases from the Byzantine and early Islamic eras; the gate has been associated with ritual and eschatological traditions in multiple faiths. It has been kept sealed in its current form since the medieval period and is not used as an entrance to the Temple Mount precinct.

The gate sits in the eastern wall facing the Mount of Olives, forming a prominent feature of the Old City’s eastern facade and visible from the slope and viewpoints on the Mount of Olives. Access to the gate itself is restricted as part of the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa complex.

The Golden Gate is located in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City and lies just east of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque precincts.

• Also called Gate of Mercy: Also known as the Gate of Mercy, it is a sealed gate on the eastern wall of the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount and figures in Jewish and Christian messianic tradition.

The Golden Gate (Sha’ar HaRachamim) is set in the eastern wall of Jerusalem’s Old City overlooking the Kidron Valley and facing the Mount of Olives. The usual way to reach it is on foot inside the Old City: enter via Lions’ Gate (northeast corner) and walk a few minutes along the wall to the Golden Gate, or view the sealed gate from the Mount of Olives side across the valley.

The Old City is reached on foot or by taxi from central Jerusalem; note the gate itself is sealed and access to the Temple Mount area is controlled by Israeli and local authorities.

• The Golden Gate on Jerusalem's eastern Temple Mount wall is sealed and cannot be entered; plan to view it from outside the Old City - the Mount of Olives side at sunrise gives unobstructed light and fewer people.
• Most visitors miss the broader context: scan the adjacent Kidron Valley and nearby tombs while you're there to understand the gate's historic and landscape setting.
• Avoid busy midday hours and religious holidays when security and access along the Eastern Wall are stricter; early morning or late afternoon on a weekday is quieter for photography and contemplation.