Lions on the Lions Gate

The Lions Gate was built by the Ottoman Turks in the sixteenth century, but the two pairs of lions incorporated into its façade are actually the royal symbol of the greatest of Mamluk sultans, Baibars. The lions were dismantled from an earlier building and placed in the later gate structure. Similar lions also appear on other sites established by Baibars, for example the fortress in Safed and the ancient bridge in Lod. During the Six-Day War, Israeli paratroopers entered the Old City through this gate.