Bab al-Jabiya ( ar, بَابُ الْجَابِيَّةِ, Bāb al-Jābīyah; ''Gate of the Water Trough'') is one of the seven ancient city-gates of

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. During the Roman era, the gate was dedicated to

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

. Bab al-Jabiya was the main entrance on the city's west side. The gate opens on

Medhat Pasha Souq Midhat Pasha Souq ( ar, سُوق مِدْحَت بَاشَا, Sūq Midḥat Bāšā) also called Al-Taweel Souq ( ar, سُوق الطَّوِيل, Sūq aṭ-Ṭawīl, english: ''Long Market'') is a historically important souq which forms the weste ...

, which is the modern western half of the

Street Called Straight Straight Street, from the Latin Via Recta ( ar, الشارع المستقيم ''al-Shāriʿ al-Mustaqīm''), known as the Street called Straight ( gr, τήν ῥύμην τήν καλουμένην εὐθείαν) in the New Testament, is the ol ...

, the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

east-west artery ('' decumanus''), which still connects it to

Bab Sharqi Bab Sharqi ( ar, بَابٌ شَرْقِيٌّ, Bāb Šarqī; "The Eastern Gate"), also known as the Gate of the Sun, is one of the seven ancient city gates of Damascus, Syria. Its modern name comes from its location in the eastern side of the ...

(the Roman "''Gate of the Sun''"). The gate's modern name dates to the

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...

period and comes from the name of

Jabiyah Jabiyah ( ar, الجابية / ALA-LC: ''al-Jābiya'') was a town of political and military significance in the 6th–8th centuries. It was located between the Hawran plain and the Golan Heights. It initially served as the capital of the Ghassanids ...

in the

Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...

, then the capital city of the

Ghassanids The Ghassanids ( ar, الغساسنة, translit=al-Ġasāsina, also Banu Ghassān (, romanized as: ), also called the Jafnids, were an Arab tribe which founded a kingdom. They emigrated from southern Arabia in the early 3rd century to the Levan ...

, allies of the Roman Empire.

History

During Roman times the gate was a typical tripartite gate with three entrances; a central carriageway for wheeled vehicles, flanked by two pedestrian entrances. Close to the gate is where the Roman Temple of Jupiter and the Theatre of

Herod the Great Herod I (; ; grc-gre, ; c. 72 – 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman Jewish client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renov ...

(modern

Bayt al-Aqqad Bayt (Arabic: or Hebrew: , both meaning ''house''; there are similar words in various Semitic languages), also spelled bayit, bayyit, bait, beit, beth, bet, etc., may refer to: All pages with titles containing ''Bayt'' Jewish religious terms * ...

), once stood. Damascus was conquered by

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

In the Rashidu era. During the Siege of Damascus, the Muslim general

Abu Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah ʿĀmir ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Jarrāḥ ( ar, عامر بن عبدالله بن الجراح; 583–639 CE), better known as Abū ʿUbayda ( ar, أبو عبيدة ) was a Muslim commander and one of the Companions of the Islamic prophet M ...

, entered Damascus peacefully through this gate on 18 September 634. He met the forces of

Khalid ibn al-Walid Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially headed campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career in ...

, which entered the city by force from the

, halfway through the

, near the present day

Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus The Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus, also known as the Maryamiyya Church ( ar, الكَنِيسَة المَرْيَمِيَّة, al-Kanīsah al-Maryamīyah), is one of the oldest Greek Orthodox churches in Damascus, Syria and holds the seat of t ...

. Under Muslim rule, the gate was partially blocked except for a small pedestrian opening. It was rebuilt during the reign of

Nur ad-Din Zengi Nūr al-Dīn Maḥmūd Zengī (; February 1118 – 15 May 1174), commonly known as Nur ad-Din (lit. "Light of the Faith" in Arabic), was a member of the Zengid dynasty, which ruled the Syria (region), Syrian province (''Shām'') of the Seljuk E ...

, and the date was inscribed as 567 Hijri (1171-1172 AD). Other inscriptions reveal that it was renovated again under the

Ayyubid The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni ...

Sultan al-Malik al-Mu'azzam, and again under the

Mamluks Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') i ...

in 687 Hijri (1288-1289 AD).

References

{{coord, 33, 30, 29.25, N, 36, 18, 6, E, type:landmark_region:SY, display=title Gates of Damascus