Herod’s Gate, which was opened in 1539 and leads into the Muslim Quarter of
Jerusalem’s Old City, was reinaugurated during a ceremony on Monday morning
after months of rehabilitation and conservation work.
The gate is also
known as the Flower Gate, and is a short distance to the east of the Damascus
Gate.
Mayor Nir Barkat and the gypsy mukhtar of the Old City,
Abed-Alhakim Mohammed Deeb Salim, whose community resides in the Muslim
Quarter’s Bab al- Huta section near Herod’s Gate, were on hand for the
ceremony,
as was Moshe Leon, the chairman of the Jerusalem Development Authority,
and
Shuka Dorfman, director-general of the Israel Antiquities Authority
(IAA).
Herod’s Gate and sections of the Old City walls adjacent to it
were treated during the course of 2009 as part of the Jerusalem City
Walls
Conservation and Rehabilitation Project, which is funded by the Prime
Minister’s
Office, administered by the Jerusalem Development Authority and
implemented by
the IAA’s Conservation Department.
“The rehabilitation work on the gate
took four months to complete and was conducted in cooperation with the
local
residents and merchants so as not to disrupt the bustling urban activity
that is
characteristic of the place,” the municipality said in a statement.
The
work on the gate was proceeded by strict preparations that included
meticulous
conservation and historical survey and documentation.
The IAA’s
Conservation Department had to contend with the challenges of working in
a busy
urban and commercial environment.
The gate’s facades and interior
received extensive treatment that included a thorough cleaning, the
repair of
stones and decorations that had been subjected to years of weathering,
and the
removal of vegetation, signs of vandalism and moisture.
All of the
electrical infrastructure and plumbing that had “adorned” the gate’s
facades
were removed and properly reinstalled so as not to detract from its
appearance.