Bab al-Jabiya or the Gate of Jupiter is one of the eight ancient city-gates of Damascus

Damascus

Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...

, Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

. Bab al-Jabiya was the main entrance on the city's west side. The gate opens on Medhat Pasha Souq

Medhat Pasha Souq

Medhat Pasha Souq is a historical souk which forms the western half of the Street Called Straight inside the old walled city of Damascus, Syria. It was named after the Ottoman governor of Syria Midhat Pasha who renovated it and ordered its coverage with a lead-shade...

, which is the modern western half of the Street Called Straight

Street Called Straight

The Damascus Straight Street is the Roman street that runs from east to west in the old city of Damascus, Syria. It was visited by St. Paul as recorded in the book of Acts and contains several interesting sights from the Roman, Christian and Islamic periods.Under the Greeks, the old city of...

, the Roman

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....

 east-west artery, which still connects it to Bab Sharqi

Bab Sharqi

Bab Sharqi , also known as the Gate of the Sun, is one of the eight ancient city gates of Damascus, Syria, and the only original Roman gate still standing. Its modern name comes from its location in the eastern side of the city. The gate also gives its name to the christian quarter surrounding it...

 (the Roman "Gate of the Sun"). The gate's modern name dates to the Umayyad period and comes from the name of al-Jabiya village in the Golan Heights.

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

Temple of Jupiter, Damascus

The Temple of Jupiter in Damascus was built by the Romans, beginning during the rule of Augustus and completed during the rule of Constantius II....

 and the Theatre of Herod the Great

Herod the Great

Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...

 (modern Bayt al-Aqqad

Bayt al-Aqqad

Bayt al-Aqqad is an old Damascene house that hosts the Danish Institute in Damascus, Syria. The history of the building is more than 2000 years: Remains of the theatre of Herod the Great were found in the outer walls and now forms a part of the wall in the secretary’s office...

), once stood.

Damascus was conquered by Muslims In the Rashidu era

Rashidun

The Rightly Guided Caliphs or The Righteous Caliphs is a term used in Sunni Islam to refer to the first four Caliphs who established the Rashidun Caliphate. The concept of "Rightly Guided Caliphs" originated with the Abbasid Dynasty...

. During the Siege of Damascus, the Muslim general Abu Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah, entered Damascus peacefully through this gate in 18 September 634. He met the forces of Khalid ibn al-Walid

Khalid ibn al-Walid

Khālid ibn al-Walīd also known as Sayf Allāh al-Maslūl , was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is noted for his military tactics and prowess, commanding the forces of Medina and those of his immediate successors of the Rashidun Caliphate; Abu Bakr and Umar...

, which entered the city by force from the Bab Sharqi

Bab Sharqi

Bab Sharqi , also known as the Gate of the Sun, is one of the eight ancient city gates of Damascus, Syria, and the only original Roman gate still standing. Its modern name comes from its location in the eastern side of the city. The gate also gives its name to the christian quarter surrounding it...

, halfway through the Street Called Straight

Street Called Straight

The Damascus Straight Street is the Roman street that runs from east to west in the old city of Damascus, Syria. It was visited by St. Paul as recorded in the book of Acts and contains several interesting sights from the Roman, Christian and Islamic periods.Under the Greeks, the old city of...

, near the present day Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus

Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus

Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus is one of the oldest Greek Orthodox churches in Damascus, Syria and holds the seat of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. The church complex is located on the Street Called Straight.-History:...

. Under Muslim rule, the gate was partially blocked except for a small pedestrian opening. It was rebuilt during the reign of Nur ad-Din Zangi, and the date was inscribed as 567 Hijri

Islamic calendar

The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...

 (1171-1172 AD). Other inscriptions reveal that it was renovated again under the Ayyubid Sultan al-Malik al-Mu'azzam

Al-Mu'azzam

Al-Mu'azzam 'Isa Sharaf ad-Din was an Ayyubid Sultan who ruled Damascus from 1218 to 1227. The son of Sultan Al-Adil I and nephew of Saladin, founder of the dynasty, Al-Mu'azzam was installed by his father as governor of Damascus in 1201. After his father's death in 1218, Al-Mu'azzam ruled the...

, and again under the Mamluks in 687 Hijri (1288-1289 AD).