Tower of David

Tower of David
Official Award Medal, 5744-1983

"Thy neck is like the Tower of David..." (Song of Songs 4.4).
To mark the opening of the Jerusalem Municipal Museum on the site of the Tower of David, the Israel Government Coins and Medals Corporation has issued this bronze medal, whose attractive and special design is the creation of the well-known Jerusalem artist Nathan Karp.
The Tower of David nestles on a high point controlling the Old City of Jerusalem. Throughout the history of the city, towers and forts were erected on this spot, with the aim of protecting Jerusalem's western face. In the fortress' courtyard, an impressive remnant of the Hasmonean wall was found, the "first wall" of the tower. Above the Herodian tower are the remains of the Byzantines, early Arabs, Crusaders, Mamelukes and Ottomans. These remains illustrate the continuity of settlement in the fortress for more than 2,000 years. The name "Tower of David" that in earlier times referred to the Herodian tower in the courtyard of the fortress, passed, in the 19th century, to the Ottoman castle-mosque, and has become in local tradition one of the more popular symbols of Jerusalem.

Obverse
Silhouette of the Tower of David fortress with "Jerusalem City Museum" in the centre, and "The Tower of David" near the rim, in Hebrew and English.

Reverse
In the center, a lion, symbol of the city; surrounding it the word "Jerusalem" twenty times in different languages.

Edge
The corporation emblem and initials IGCMC - in Hebrew and English, and serial number.

Designer
Nathan Karp

Mint
Hechet