DOI Artikel:
Żuchowska, Marta: The Western Gate at Palmyra
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26422#0110
The Western Gate at Palmyra
Marta Zuchowska
The area of the Western Gate, at the west end of the Great Colonnade at Palmyra, has never been
explored, nor has it ever been discussed in publications concerning the site. Nonetheless, a recon-
struction of the plan of this feature and its outward appearance is possible from the surviving
remains, as is an interpretation of its function in the urban network of the city of Palmyra.
The state of preservation of the architecture is very poor. A single base and one pilaster with
Corinthian capital decorating the northern part of the east wall are still standing [Fig. 1]. Numerous
stone blocks from the walls are scattered over much of the adjacent area [Fig. 3].
The plan of the gate can be reconstructed from that single base found in situ. It comprised a
central passage opening from the street and two lateral passages, narrower than the central one, exit-
ing from the porticoes. The monument was equal in width to the Great Colonnade (about 25 m) and
approx. 2.70 m deep. The central passage was 5.50 m wide, the lateral ones, now concealed under
sand and tumbled stone blocks, approx. 2.50 m as calculated from the length of the preserved lintel
— 3.40 m minus the width of the jambs — 0.45 m each [Fig. 4].
Seeing no evidence of bonding with the back walls of the porticoes of the Great Colonnade,
we should consider the Western Gate as quite probably freestanding, connected with the portico
columns by architraves spanning the space from the gate pilasters. Tn view of this, it is more than
likely that the gate would have been adjusted in height to the porticoes of the Great Colonnade
and the decoration of the entablature and cornice would have been a continuation of that of the
porticoes.
The lateral doorways were rectangular and topped with decorated lintels. The central pas-
sage could have been rectangular with a flat lintel or else it could have had an arch over it. The
common architectural solution in Palmyra is for all three doorways to be of the same shape, e.g.
the Monumental Arch with its three arches and the Agora Annex [Fig. 5], the skene building of
the Theater and the entrance to the Temenos of Bel [Fig. 6], the latter with five passages fur-
nished with rectangular doorways. There is no example from Palmyra of rectangular and vaulted
doorways being used in combination in the same structure. It seems probable therefore that the
Western Gate was fitted with three rectangular doorways.
On the other hand, the width of the central passage (5.50 m) implies a lintel of a length in
excess of 6 m (counting about 0.60 m for each jamb, a fragment of one is preserved nearby). A stone
of this length would have likely been broken under its own sheer weight. No other gate in Palmyra
has such a wide passage and it can only be supposed that in the case of the Western Gate some
107
Studia Palmyrenskie XI
Marta Zuchowska
The area of the Western Gate, at the west end of the Great Colonnade at Palmyra, has never been
explored, nor has it ever been discussed in publications concerning the site. Nonetheless, a recon-
struction of the plan of this feature and its outward appearance is possible from the surviving
remains, as is an interpretation of its function in the urban network of the city of Palmyra.
The state of preservation of the architecture is very poor. A single base and one pilaster with
Corinthian capital decorating the northern part of the east wall are still standing [Fig. 1]. Numerous
stone blocks from the walls are scattered over much of the adjacent area [Fig. 3].
The plan of the gate can be reconstructed from that single base found in situ. It comprised a
central passage opening from the street and two lateral passages, narrower than the central one, exit-
ing from the porticoes. The monument was equal in width to the Great Colonnade (about 25 m) and
approx. 2.70 m deep. The central passage was 5.50 m wide, the lateral ones, now concealed under
sand and tumbled stone blocks, approx. 2.50 m as calculated from the length of the preserved lintel
— 3.40 m minus the width of the jambs — 0.45 m each [Fig. 4].
Seeing no evidence of bonding with the back walls of the porticoes of the Great Colonnade,
we should consider the Western Gate as quite probably freestanding, connected with the portico
columns by architraves spanning the space from the gate pilasters. Tn view of this, it is more than
likely that the gate would have been adjusted in height to the porticoes of the Great Colonnade
and the decoration of the entablature and cornice would have been a continuation of that of the
porticoes.
The lateral doorways were rectangular and topped with decorated lintels. The central pas-
sage could have been rectangular with a flat lintel or else it could have had an arch over it. The
common architectural solution in Palmyra is for all three doorways to be of the same shape, e.g.
the Monumental Arch with its three arches and the Agora Annex [Fig. 5], the skene building of
the Theater and the entrance to the Temenos of Bel [Fig. 6], the latter with five passages fur-
nished with rectangular doorways. There is no example from Palmyra of rectangular and vaulted
doorways being used in combination in the same structure. It seems probable therefore that the
Western Gate was fitted with three rectangular doorways.
On the other hand, the width of the central passage (5.50 m) implies a lintel of a length in
excess of 6 m (counting about 0.60 m for each jamb, a fragment of one is preserved nearby). A stone
of this length would have likely been broken under its own sheer weight. No other gate in Palmyra
has such a wide passage and it can only be supposed that in the case of the Western Gate some
107
Studia Palmyrenskie XI