Syria Trails › Places

Bab Sharqi (East Gate)

باب شرقي

The only Roman gate of Damascus surviving in its original form, at the eastern end of Straight Street, surrounded by a lively quarter.

At the eastern end of Straight Street stands Bab Sharqi, the only gate of old Damascus that keeps its Roman form. Built when the Romans replanned the city, it marked the entrance to the main street and is said to have been dedicated to the Sun.

It has three openings — a large central arch for wheeled traffic and two smaller side passages — some of which were blocked in later Islamic fortifications before 20th-century restoration reopened it.

It is also called the Gate of the Sun and was built about AD 200 as the entrance to the main street known from biblical sources as the Street Called Straight, which still links it to Bab al-Jabiyah in the west. It takes its present name from its position on the eastern side of the city, and it is the only gate to keep its original triple passageway, a large central one for caravans and wheeled traffic and two smaller ones for pedestrians. When Muslims granted Christians continued access to their churches in the eastern district, the Christian Quarter gradually grew near the gate; Nur ad-Din Zangi made adjustments to it.

Tradition holds that Muslim forces under Khalid ibn al-Walid entered Damascus from this side around 634.

Note: photos may not reflect the site's current condition.

For the visitor

Photos

Photos: Bernard Gagnon — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Frank Kidner — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)