Doors have been used by humanity for centuries as the symbol of development and civilizations, and they have been used in different meanings from the lowest to the highest levels of society. In this article, we have examined the doors that have witnessed the history and have the traces of civilizations on them.

LION’S GATE – GREECE

One of the most iconic monuments of Mycenaean civilization, the Lion’s Gate was built in the middle of the 13th century BC as the main gate of the castle. The Lion’s Gate in Mycenae is thought to be a Defensive structure. To enter the well-preserved city fortress, it was necessary to pass through the Lion’s Gate. Consisting of four monolithic blocks, each weighing about twenty tons, the stone rocks of this gate are made of amygdalite. Lions were a very common heraldic symbol in Europe at that time. Many royal dynasties were proud of their image on their sleeves. According to some assumptions, lions are considered to be symbols of one of the ruling dynasties of Mycenae.

HADRIAN’S GATE – TÜRKİYE

Hadrian’s Gate, also called Üçkapılar, is one of the magnificent works of Antalya. It was built in 130 AD to commemorate the visit of Emperor Hadrian in Attaleia. The epitaph of the building is written in Latin. The three-eyed door has an inscription in Latin. Only the epitaph has survived from the decorated marble columns in the Corinthian style and the statues of the emperor and his family on the door. Hadrian’s Gate, among the best preserved structures in Antalya, is described as the most beautiful gate of Pamfia.

ISTAR GATE – IRAQ

The Ishtar Gate, on the walls of the ancient city of Babylon in present-day Iraq, was built by the Babylonian King II. Built by Nebuchadnezzar in the name of Goddess Ishtar, it is a gigantic brick door consisting of two monumental entrances separated by an inner courtyard, opening to the main street called “Ceremonial Road”. It was determined that the ceremonial road connected to the gate was at least 800 meters long. To ensure the security of the city, crenellated towers are attached to the walls of the Ceremonial Road. At the Ishtar Gate and on the ceremonial road, a parade was held each year to celebrate the beginning of the agricultural year. It was built in 575 as the eighth gate of the city, combining the inner and outer fortifications of Babylon, the capital of the New Babylonian State.

CROWN DOORS – TÜRKİYE

With the awareness of the effect created by the first glance in Turkish Architecture, the façade has been given great importance. The crown door, which has dense ornaments, writing belts and small architectural elements, has the appearance of an open-air sculpture. The geometrical arrangement in the crown doors is in the form of knots and strips knitted in the style of interlacing. These knots are tied together with a loop at the top of the belt they wrap around. Closed geometric shapes, fiction called star systems, octagons have been an expression of the understanding of infinity and circularity. The crown gates of the madrasahs that stand out in Anatolian Turkish Architecture; It is known as Sivas Gök Madrasa, Sivas Double Minaret Madrasa, Erzurum Double Minaret Madrasa, Erzurum Yakutiye Madrasa, Konya Sırçalı Madrasa, Konya Karatay Madrasa, Konya İnce Minareli Madrasa, Kırşehir Cacabey Madrasa.

CHENG-ENG GATE – TAIWAN

The North Gate is located at the intersection of Zhongxiao West Road, Yanping North Road, Zhonghua Road, Yanping South Road and Bo’ai Road in Zhongzheng District. It is the only thing remaining as it was in the Qing Dynasty and is one of the most valuable state-designated historical sites in Taipei. Cheng’en Gate means “to inherit the grace of heaven”. The North Gate in Taipei City served as an important gate to Dadaocheng. They used the Cheng-en Gate to enter and exit Taipei City. The two-story fortress of the North Gate is surrounded by solid walls in the form of a highly guarded fortress. There are square and round shaped window openings in front and behind the castle for surveillance and defense reasons. At the beginning of the North Gate, there is a small enclosure called “urn city” or “Wong Cheng” in Chinese outside.

BAB BOUJLOUD GATE – MOROCCO

The main entrance of the medina is also where the minarets of the Bou Inania madrasa and the Sidi Lazaz mosque were cut. It was built in the 13th century in the Hispano-moreque style during the Almohad period. It is the newest gate of the city, which was built in 1913 when Morocco was under the French mandate. For a bird’s-eye view of the architecturally rich door, Borj Nord is one of the best spots in the city. The castle, which was built for control purposes in the late 16th century, was also used as a prison and legislative building in the past, apart from its military purpose. The gate, built on two sides of Moorish architecture, which is a North African school, is surrounded by blue and green mosaics.

DELHI GATE – INDIA

This gate is one of the thirteen gates of Lahore. The gates around the city of Lahore were built by the third Mughal Emperor Akbar in the mid-1600s. Delhi Gate is the southern gate in the historic walled city (Old) Delhi or Shahjahanabad. The gate connects the city of New Delhi with the old walled city of Delhi. It stands on the edge of Daryaganj, in the middle of the road, at the end of Netaji Subhash Chandra Road (or Netaji Subhash Marg). The emperor used this door to go to Jama Masjid for prayer. It was built as part of the high fort walls made of rubble stone surrounding Shahjahanabad, the seventh city of Delhi.