Image Details

The Double Gate: In this photo we see the two intact western domes from the opposite direction— from within the passageway, looking south toward a sunlit window in the wall of the Crusader tower. Flowers and geometric designs cover the dome ceilings. Though stylized, these flowers represent specific local species. In the northwestern dome, a border of acanthus leaves frames a scallop design.

In the lit area on the left of the photo, beyond the large horizontal concrete beam, is the eastern passageway of the Double Gate. On the eastern wall of the passageway—at the far left of the photo—a doorway leads into side chambers located below the Royal Stoa. The doorway’s extant Herodian lintel and relieving arch are visible behind and left of the modern, concrete frame around a white Herodian column.