Huldah Gates Building

Address: Huldah Gates (Temple Mount), Old City, Jerusalem

The Huldah Gates are a pair of ancient entrances in the southern retaining wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, historically used to access the raised platform of the Temple Mount. The name derives from the biblical prophetess Huldah and has long been applied to these southern gate structures.

Architecturally the complex includes the so-called Double Gate and Triple Gate - vaulted passageways that led from street level up onto the Temple platform during the Second Temple period. Both gate passages are now sealed; their internal arches, stairways and masonry survive behind later construction and can be seen in the southern wall and in archaeological exposures.

The gateway passages were constructed or refurbished in the Herodian and later periods to facilitate large numbers of pilgrims entering the Temple precinct. Over subsequent centuries the visible entrances were blocked and new surface-level access points were created.

Geographically the Huldah Gates sit in the southern wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, above the area historically associated with the southern approach used by pilgrims.

• Date and preservation: The entrances are part of the southern retaining wall of the Temple Mount and date to the Second Temple period with later modifications; the arches and vaulted passageways are preserved behind later fills and masonry.

What to See#

• Double Gate and Triple Gate: The Double Gate and the Triple Gate are the two ancient passageways in the southern retaining wall of the Temple Mount; both are now sealed but their inner arches and passageways are visible from the wall and the area below.

The Huldah Gates are in the southern wall of the Temple Mount (Old City of Jerusalem). They are a short walk from major Old City landmarks - about 5-10 minutes on foot from the Western Wall (Kotel) plaza and likewise a few minutes’ walk from the Dung Gate area. The Old City is pedestrianised: most visitors arrive by bus or by parking outside the Old City (for example near Jaffa Gate) and then walk in; access through the gates themselves is restricted as they form part of the Temple Mount complex.

• View the Huldah Gates from the Western Wall area or from the Southern Wall archaeological park (Davidson Center), where the ancient stepped gateways and the Hulda passage remains are best interpreted and visible.
• Don't expect public access through Huldah Gates to the Temple Mount - access routes and times are controlled and non‑Muslim entry to the Haram area is limited; coordinate visits with guided archaeological tours or the Western Wall tunnels to see the gates' structures and history.