Tower of David

Jerusalem, Israel

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The Tower of David is the ancient citadel of Jerusalem, located just outside the Jaffa Gate on the western side of the Old City, and it is one of the city’s most iconic landmarks with a prominent minaret and massive stone walls visible from many points in the city.

Despite its name, the citadel has nothing to do with King David himself; the name comes from early Christian tradition in the 5th century CE, when Byzantines mistakenly identified the northwest hill as Mount Zion and assumed the site was David’s palace, and later the name was transferred to the Ottoman minaret that dominates the skyline.

The site’s earliest fortifications date to the time of the Hasmoneans and were expanded by King Herod in the 1st century BCE, who built three huge towers (Phasael, Hippicus and Mariamne) at the vulnerable northwest corner to protect his palace on Mount Zion; after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, these towers remained as a symbol of the city’s former strength and were used as a Roman barracks.

Over the following centuries the citadel was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt by the Byzantines, Early Muslim, Crusader, Mamluk and Ottoman rulers, and the structures that visitors see today largely reflect Mamluk and Ottoman work, with the monumental eastern gate and the tall minaret added in the 17th century.