Alternatively, in a possible folk etymology, the First Temple prophetess Huldah[4][5] was said to have held court in this area and, indeed, her tomb[6] was placed here by some as well.

Accepted opinion amongst scholars is that the Mishna's description (see under Etymology) refers to the sanctified area of the Temple Mount in the Hasmonean period.

[citation needed] The 19th century excavations of the area by Charles Warren[7] discovered an erratic series of passageways under the triple gate, some leading below the wall and beyond the Mount's southern edge.

The purpose and age of these passages are unknown, and more recent archaeologists have not been allowed to investigate due to the political volatility of the site.

[citation needed] Both the Double and Triple Gates of the Herodian time allowed access to the Temple Mount esplanade via a vestibule followed by underground vaulted ramps.

[8] Of what we see today, which is part of the right (eastern) gate, the lintel and the relieving arch above it are Herodian, while the intricately carved cornice is Umayyad.

The mosque's al-Khataniyya Library was also established in the remains of the Fatimid-era fortification tower, today entered through the western portal of the twin gate.