David Tower Bethlehem building desert fort God Jesus bible holy testament old new Christ Christian Christianity religion The Tow
The Tower of David (Hebrew: מגדל דוד, Migdal David, Arabic: برج داود, Burj Daud) is an ancient citadel located near the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. Built to strengthen a strategically weak point in the Old City's defenses, the citadel was constructed during the second century BCE and subsequently destroyed and rebuilt by, in succession, the Christian, Muslim, Mamluk, and Ottoman conquerors of Jerusalem. It contains important archeological finds dating back 2,700 years, and is a popular venue for benefit events, craft shows, concerts, and sound-and-light performances. The name "Tower of David" is a misnomer, as it was constructed at least several hundred years after the Biblical date of King David's reign. During the 2nd century BCE, the Old City of Jerusalem expanded onto the so-called Western Hill. This 773-meter-high prominence, which comprises the modern Armenian and Jewish Quarters as well as Mount Zion, was bounded by steep valleys on all sides except for its northwest corner. King Hezekiah may have been the first to fortify this area. Centuries later, the Hasmonean kings, surrounded the area with an impressive wall and large watchtowers, which historian Josephus Flavius (1st century CE) refers to as the First Wall. Herod, who assumed power after the fall of the Hasmonean dynasty, added three massive towers to the fortifications in 37-34 BCE. He built these at the vulnerable northwest corner of the Western Hill, where the Tower of David is now located. His purpose was not only to defend the city, but to safeguard his own royal palace located nearby on Mount Zion. Herod named the tallest of the towers, 145 feet in height, the Phasael in memory of his brother who had committed suicide. Another tower was called the Miriam, named for his second wife whom he had executed and buried in a cave to the west of the tower. He named the third tower the Hippicus after one of his friends. Of the three towers, only the Phasael still stands today
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