Seven such gates remain in public use today, while a further five are either sealed up (as is the case with the Golden Gate) or are unused archeological reconstructions.
But, as students of history are aware, the gates of what is today the Old City of Jerusalem are not the same gates that existed at the time of Jesus, which, in turn, were not the gates that existed during the times of King Solomon and his successors.
It is true that the Jaffa Gate, Damascus Gate and perhaps others are still situated in the same locations as previous, more ancient gates. What is also true, and plainly obvious to anyone visiting this city, is that Jerusalem has since moved far beyond the confines of those portals of yore.
That doesn’t mean modern Jerusalem has no functional gates. It remains a city under siege and beset by conflict.
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