Opening inside the walls of the city, the East Gate was clearly the principal entrance to the fortress from a display standpoint. It is, however, vulnerable as far as defense is concerned, relying therefore on the fortifications of the neighboring towers as well as an add-on outer gate with a barbican in-between.
The attached photo was taken by Herzfeld in 1914. The components of this gate from bottom to top are:
1. An ornamented lintel featuring a zigzag pattern.
2. A low relieving arch with joggled voussoirs.
3. superimposed rows of stalactite (muqarnaṣ) decoration.
4. A half-vault surmounting the structure (sketch courtesy of sauvaget).
A putsch against the Mamlūk sultan aẓ-Ẓāhir Barqūq, centered on the Citadel, took place in 1392 CE. The loyal troops stormed the fortress through the east gate, thus aborting the coup. In commemoration, the gate was renamed "Bāb an-Naṣr aẓ-Ẓāhirī," or "Gate of aẓ-Ẓāhir's Victory."
D. J. Cathcart King. The Defences of the Citadel of Damascus; a Great Mohammedan Fortress of the Time of the Crusades. Archaeologia, Volume XCIV, 1951 (p 57-96).
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