The 2015 custodial guide counts fifteen gates leading to Al-Aqsa, describing ten as open and five as closed at the time. That is a historical inventory, not a statement of today’s entry conditions. Perimeter gates must also be distinguished from the freestanding arched entrances to the raised platform.[1]
In this guide
What is being counted?
A total only makes sense when its scope is clear. A double gateway can have two named portals; a long-closed historic opening may still be included in an architectural inventory. The guide’s fifteen is the count used here, with its source and date attached. Do not infer that fifteen entrances are available to visitors, or combine this count with the platform’s decorative arches.[2]
The Cotton Merchants’ Gate
Bab al-Qattanin links the western side of the sanctuary to the Cotton Merchants’ Market. The Ministry of Tourism account places the market’s rebuilding under Emir Tankiz in 1336. It is important to keep that date attached to the market complex described by the source, rather than silently treating it as the first construction date of every element of the gateway.[3]
The Chain Gate and its neighboring portal
The Chain Gate forms part of a double gateway with the Tranquility Gate. Its associations also include the nearby court, reflected in the name Bab al-Mahkama. These overlapping names show how a gateway can be described by a traditional name, a paired portal or a neighboring institution. It is nevertheless a different structure from the Dome of the Chain on the raised platform.[4][5]
A gate belongs to both sides of the boundary
A useful way to study the western gateways is to look at what they connect: an open courtyard on one side and streets, markets or institutional buildings on the other. Al-Ashrafiyya, for example, lies along the western edge between the Chain and Cotton Merchants’ gates. Gates help explain how the sanctuary relates to the Old City rather than existing as an isolated group of monuments.[6][3]
Keep the architectural record separate from access
The guide’s open-and-closed classification dates to 2015. It should not be reused as a current timetable, eligibility rule or recommended route. Learn identifies places and explains historical relationships; its gate entries do not confirm that a particular doorway can be used on a particular day. Consult current instructions from the authorities responsible for access when planning an actual visit.[7]
Sources & references
References are attached to the passages they support. Dates below record source consultation.
- A Guide to Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (2015)
pp. 32–35, 46–53
PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14
- A Guide to Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (2015)
pp. 46–53
PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Qattanin Market
Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Chain Gate (Jerusalem)
Wikipedia · cited architectural bibliography · Consulted 2026-09-14
- A Guide to Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (2015)
pp. 48–51
PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya · Yusuf al-Natsheh
Museum With No Frontiers · Discover Islamic Art · Consulted 2026-09-14
- A Guide to Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (2015)
pp. 46–53; publication date
PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14