Al-Omariya School / Bab al-Ghawanima

Why stop here

The walk starts at a working school. Al-Omariya opened in 1924. It is named after Omar ibn al-Khattab. Remains of the Antonia Fortress lie under its floors. Pilgrims count this courtyard as the First Station.

Look for

• The school gate, and the stairs up to its courtyard.
• The Station I marker on the wall.
• Bab al-Ghawanima, a gate of the Haram, stands just east.

Context

Herod built the Antonia Fortress here, beside the Temple platform. None of it shows above ground today. The school, the street and the houses sit on top of it.

To the next stop

Continue west along Via Dolorosa, about 110 m.