Tower of David The Tower of David ( , " Migdal David " , , " Burj Daud " ) is an ancient citadel located near the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem . Built to strengthen a strategically weak point in the Old City ' s defenses , the citadel that stands today has ancient foundations and was constructed during the 2nd century BC and subsequently destroyed and rebuilt by , in succession , the Christian , Muslim , Mamluk , and Ottoman conquerors of Jerusalem . It contains important archaeological finds dating back 2 , 700 years , and is a popular venue for benefit events , craft shows , concerts , and sound - and - light performances . The name " Tower of David " is due to Byzantine Christians who believed the site to be the palace of King David . They borrowed the name " Tower of David " from the Song of Songs , attributed to Solomon , King David ' s son , who wrote : " Thy neck is like the Tower of David built with turrets , whereon there hang a thousand shields , all the armor of the mighty men . " ( Song of Songs , 4 : 4 ) History . During the 2nd century BC , the Old City of Jerusalem expanded onto the so - called Western Hill . This 773 - meter - high prominence , which comprises the modern Armenian and Jewish Quarters as well as Mount Zion , was bounded by steep valleys on all sides except for its northwest corner . After King David and his son the legendary King Solomon ' s initial fortifications , King Hezekiah may have been the first to specifically fortify this area . Centuries later , the Hasmonean kings surrounded the area with an impressive wall and large watchtowers , which historian Josephus Flavius ( 1st century BC ) refers to as " the First Wall " . Herod , who assumed power after the fall of the Hasmonean dynasty , added three massive towers to the fortifications in 37 – 34 BC . He built these at the vulnerable northwest corner of the Western Hill , where the Tower of David is now located . His purpose was not only to defend the city , but to safeguard his own royal palace located nearby on Mount Zion . Herod named the tallest of the towers , 145 feet in height , the Phasael in memory of his brother who had committed suicide . Another tower was called the Miriam , named for his second wife whom he had executed and buried in a cave to the west of the tower . He named the third tower the Hippicus after one of his friends . Of the three towers , only the Phasael still stands today . Following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD , the site served as barracks for the Roman troops . When the Roman Empire adopted Christianity as the imperial religion in the 4th century , a community of monks established itself in the citadel . After the Arab conquest of Jerusalem in 638 , the new Muslim rulers refurbished the citadel . This powerful structure withstood the assault of the Crusaders in 1099 , and surrendered only when its defenders were guaranteed safe passage out of the city . During the Crusader period , thousands of pilgrims undertook the pilgrimage to Jerusalem by way of the port at Jaffa . To protect pilgrims from the menace of highway robbers , the Crusaders built a tower surrounded by a moat atop the citadel , and posted lookouts to guard the road to Jaffa . The citadel also served as the seat of the Crusader kings of Jerusalem . In 1187 , Sultan Saladin captured the city and the site . The Mamluks destroyed it in 1260 and later rebuilt it . The citadel was rebuilt yet again between 1537 and 1541 by the Ottomans , who designed a large entrance , behind which stood a cannon emplacement . For 400 years , the citadel served as a garrison for Turkish troops . The Ottomans also installed a mosque at the site and added the minaret , which still stands today . It was during this time that the complex began to be accepted as the " Tower of David " , after the founder - king of Jerusalem . During World War I , British forces under General Edmund Allenby captured Jerusalem . General Allenby formally proclaimed the event standing on a platform outside the entrance to the Tower of David . During the period of the British Mandate ( 1917 – 1948 ) , the British High Commissioner established the Pro - Jerusalem Society to protect the city ' s cultural heritage . This organization cleaned and renovated the citadel and reopened it to the public as a venue for concerts , benefit events and exhibitions by local artists . In the 1930s , a museum of Palestinian folklore was opened in the citadel , displaying traditional crafts and clothing . Following the 1948 Arab - Israeli War , the Arab Legion captured Jerusalem and converted the citadel back to its historical role as a military position , as it commanded a dominant view across the armistice line into Jewish Jerusalem . With the Israeli victory of 1967 after the Six - Day War , the citadel ' s cultural role was revived . Tower of David Museum . The Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem was opened in 1989 by the Jerusalem Foundation . Located in a series of chambers in the original citadel , the museum includes a courtyard which contains archeological ruins dating back 2 , 700 years . The exhibits depict 4 , 000 years of Jerusalem ' s history , from its beginnings as a Canaan ite city to modern times . Using maps , videotape s , hologram s , drawings and models , the exhibit rooms each depict Jerusalem under its various rulers . Visitors may also ascend to the ramparts , which command a 360 - degree view of the Old City and New City of Jerusalem . As of 2002 , the Jerusalem Foundation reported that over 3 . 5 million visitors had toured the museum .