The Lions’ Gate
The Lions’ Gate is the name of one the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem.
This gate was built between 1538-1539 and is located in the north-eastern part of the wall of the Old City, in the area of the Muslim Quarter. It is called the Lions’ Gate after the two lions (they are actually cheetahs) engraved on both sides of the gate’s façade. These cheetahs are the emblem of the Mameluke Sultan Bibars. It would seem that they were taken from somewhere else in the country and positioned here as a secondary use.
In the battle for Jerusalem in the Six Day War, a force of the Paratroops Brigade broke into the Old City through this gate.