This gate is of Muslim origin, there being remains from this age preserved in the second interior body. Its name is derived from the Arabic word Bab-Shagra, which means "Door of the Sacred". It was totally rebuilt during the reigns of Carlos V and Felipe II, following the designs of Alonso de Covarrubias. It is made up of two bodies, between which is placed a "plaza de armas" (main square).
The enormous exterior body is composed of a stone triumphal arch crowned by a huge imperial coat of arms of the city, with its unmistakeable two-headed eagle flanked by two large stone semicircular towers showing the figures of the seated monarchs, a symbol of the good government shown by the medieval coat of arms.