David Citadel (מגדל דוד‎, Migdal David)

The fortress's origins date back to 24 BC, when Herod the Great erected a new fortress with three mighty defensive towers – Hippicus, Phasael, and Mariamne – on the foundations of an older structure. This construction served to secure the western side of Jerusalem and protected the western city gate as well as the adjacent Herod's Palace. After the Jewish War, during which the Herodian Temple was destroyed, the Romans razed the city but left the three towers standing as a memorial to Jerusalem's former grandeur. In Byzantine times, two of the towers were destroyed; the base of the third is still visible today at Jaffa Gate. In the 16th century, under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, a new city wall was built, which also included a citadel. A minaret, now known as the Tower of David, was added in 1665. The name Tower of David Citadel is based on a historical error, as there is no direct connection to the biblical King David. This error arose in Byzantine times from a misinterpretation of records by the historian Flavius Josephus, which mistakenly linked the Phasael tower to King David. Muslims who conquered Jerusalem in 637 adopted this attribution. Later, in the 19th century, Western travelers mistakenly identified the 17th-century minaret as the aforementioned Tower of David.

The Tower of David Citadel is located in Jerusalem, in the Jerusalem district, in the Jerusalem region of Israel. It stands at an elevation of approximately 780 m above sea level.

Today, the fortress is accessible to visitors and houses the Jerusalem City Museum, offering insights into the city's history.

• Jaffa Gate (city fortification), approx. 0.1 km away
• Church of the Holy Sepulchre (sacred building), approx. 0.3 km away
• New Gate (city fortification), approx. 0.4 km away
• Zion Gate (city fortification), approx. 0.4 km away