The New Gate is known in Hebrew as “HaSha’ar Hechadash,” (Heb. "השער החדש") and in Arabic as Bab el-Jadid, the Gate of Hammid.  This gate was constructed in 1889 by permission of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

HaSha'ar HeChadash, the New Gate is so named since it is the newest portal added to the old city of Jerusalem. Unlike all the other gates that were part of the original design of the wall constructed by Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century, this gate was breached in 1889. Though it was opened by the permission of the Ottoman ruler, it was done in the waning years of that empire. The New Gate was breached to afford the Christian pilgrims, and some note, specifically to provide the German Emperor William II easier access to the Christian Quarter.

This gate is also called Gate of Hammid in honor of the Sultan Abdul Hamid who gave permission to build it.

After the New Gate was captured by Jordan in 1948 it was closed off. It was reopened in 1967 after the Six Day war when Israel regained control of the Old City and the New Gate.

Click the following for the list of all of Old Jerusalem's Eight Gates: The Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem
 

Mazor Guide to Yom Yerushalayim brings you much more about the holiday, its meaning and its traditions... See the links below.

• Yom Yerushalayim:The Reunification of Israel's Eternal Capital - Basic Information
• Yom Yerushalayim - A Time Line: Jerusalem, the Eternal Capital of Israel
• Yom Yerushalayim - How is this holiday celebrated?
• The Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem

MazorGuide Recommended Reading

  - A House of Prayer for All Nations: The Holy Temple of Jerusalem ~ by Chaim Richman
  - Letters from Jerusalem 1947-1948 (Paperback)  ~ by Zipporah Porath
  - The Story of Israel - Special Edition: From Theodor Herzl to the Roadmap for Peace ~ by Martin Gilbert
  - Tales Out of Jerusalem: Seven Gates to the City  ~ by Rabbi Emanuel Feldman