Jerusalem has been a walled city forever, with various conquerors tearing down the walls and rebuilding them, always out of stone. To this very day, in fact, all new buildings in Jerusalem must be built from Jerusalem stone.

The walls of Jerusalem have eight gates: Zion Gate, Jaffa Gate, New Gate, Damascus Gate, Herod's Gate, Lions Gate, Golden Gate, and Dung Gate, where in ancient times they used to take out the garbage. The Golden Gate, in the eastern wall of the city, was sealed up in the Crusader Period.