The Damascus Gate is one of the main Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. In its current form, the gate was built in 1537 under the rule of Suleiman the Magnificent; however, a gate is known to have been located in the same spot since the Roman period.

We went to Israel and Jordan while we were posted to Ankara, from 1996 to 2000. We stayed with a diplomat friend in Tel Aviv and traveled by bus to Jerusalem. I remember the bus route we took had previously been subject to a terrorist attack and that it wasn’t the most worry-free vacation we ever had.

Making friends at PetSmart, too, posted earlier: