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. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

. 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, 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 lett ...

east-west artery ('' decumanus''), which still connects it to Bab Sharqi (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 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 renova ...

(modern Bayt al-Aqqad), 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 Abrah ...

In the Rashidu era. During the Siege of Damascus, the Muslim general Abu Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah, 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 Bab Sharqi, halfway through the Street Called Straight, near the present day Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus. 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, and the date was inscribed as 567 Hijri (1171-1172 AD). Other inscriptions reveal that it was renovated again under the Ayyubid 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'') ...

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