The old city walls of Jerusalem were built by Suleiman the Magnificent between 1537-1540. There are eight gates into the city, though one of these gates has been blocked to prevent entry. Five of these gates allow vehicles to enter, three of which have been changed from their original configuration. One gate has been built in modern times. The remaining gate is used for modern automobiles in its original form.
On the northern side of the city, there were originally two gates: Damascus Gate and Herod's Gate. The Ottomans added another gate in 1887, in order to provide access to the new suburbs of Jerusalem which were growing to the north and west of the city.
The eastern side had only one gate that was usable: St Stephen's Gate. Another gate exists, but is blocked up and has not been used in modern times (the Golden Gate, or the Gate Beautiful).
The southern gates are the Dung Gate, which was originaly a postern, and Zion Gate.
The western side of the city only has one gate: Jaffa Gate.