Showing posts with label Jaffa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jaffa. Show all posts

Jaffa – Tel Aviv

As of the world’s oldest ports, Jaffa is thought to have been the port from which Jonah left in the story of the Whale!

Jaffa (also known as Yafo) is the ancient port city out of which Tel Aviv has now grown. Jaffa has, in recent years, like much of South Tel Aviv, been regenerated with the old narrow streets and courtyards becoming a another highly desirable part of Tel Aviv’s urban tapestry. Jaffa flea market is a well known attraction of the area, with vendors selling a diverse range of interesting and unique products. Meanwhile the narrow passageways and ancient buildings in the Old City of Jaffa are worlds away from modern Tel Aviv.

The history of Jaffa is a long one. As of the world’s oldest ports, Jaffa is thought to have been the port from which Jonah left in the story of the Whale! The port continued to be important through history, and served as the main entry point to the land of Israel through until the late 19th century when Jews from around the world began to return to Israel. It was through Jaffa that they entered the country and in Jaffa that many initially settled. The huge population increase led to overcrowding, and tense relations developed between the Jewish and Arab residents of the city. The result was that Jews began building outside of Jaffa, firstly neighborhoods such as Neve Tzedek, and later the city of Tel Aviv.

As Tel Aviv developed, Jaffa decayed. By the 1940′s Tel Aviv was so much larger than Jaffa, then dominantly Arab as most Jews had moved out, that it was made into a neighborhood of Tel Aviv to create the offical title of the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo. The decay continued until the municipality created a Development Organization to oversee the restoration of Jaffa, which continues today.

There are lots of great things to see in Jaffa. Since its restoration, it has become a popular tourist attraction, with people visiting it as a part of Tel Aviv, and as a city of interest on its own. Jaffa is a real melting pot with Jewish and Arab populations living and breathing the same closely-packed air. It always feels like Jaffa is in a constant state of flux as people rush about on their daily business. The Flea Market is a key site, and the sites, sounds, and smells of the small alleyways and streets which make up this city are lined with artists galleries and studios, as well as boutique and craft shops. Jaffa also has some unique and interesting restaurants. The Jaffa Harbor is currently being excavated, and is absolutely stunning. The views from here across to modern Tel Aviv, especially at sunset are incredible. Meanwhile, the gardens next to the sea are picturesque.

Shops in Jaffa are unique. The small, narrow streets are home to small unique boutiques, design shops and other fascinating shops which you could even think are not shops.

Restaurants and cafes in Jaffa offer the full range of food that Tel Aviv has become known for although there is a wide range of more oriental and Middle Eastern styles of food. For instance, one local institution Dr Shakshuka serves this unique tomato and egg based dish originating from Libya to crowds of natives and tourists alike.

What’s near to Jaffa: HaTachana, Tel Aviv’s Old Railway station is a short stroll up the the Mediterranean Coast. Meanwhile the neighborhood of Florentin offers one the chance to see the ‘old’ South Tel Aviv – still to be regenerated with a fascinating array of shops selling all varieties of products.


Exploring Jaffa

Ajami


A typical Ajami street. By Ori~ (Own work) [Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons


Jaffa is the ancient port out of which modern day Tel Aviv has grown. The Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa is located south of the Old City and Port of Jaffa, and rose to international fame in 2009 as the name of a film set here which won international awards and was nominated for an Oscar. The film explored life in the neighborhood, which remains largely Arab in population, and is one of the first Israeli films to be created largely in Arabic. This part of Jaffa is often glossed over by tourists as it falls further south than the majority of the ‘tourist sites’ in the Old City, Port, and Flea Market areas. With a bit of local knowledge, however, Ajami offers a unique cultural experience. 

Hamidron Park, the New Park. Credit: Samy D.
Via Samy D.


Hamidron Park (“the slope park”). It is true that once it was a neighborhood, it is true that in the 80′s the place turned to be a construction waste site, it is also true that the development of the park was accelerated when many Israeli Jews moved to Jaffa – but the bottom line is that it is very very beautiful.
In the beginning, the hills of construction waste were made out of colorful tiles, ceramic electric fuses and even everyday’s household items which cried out the story of the obliterated neighborhood. The time passing, the salty air and giant grinding machines transformed the broken pieces of life to high hills of sand and gravel. From one weekend to another the hills moved and slid to their final position of curvaceous slopes having an abundance of intimate hideaways and vast public spaces. There is even one spot in which Tel Aviv from one side and Bat-Yam on the other are hidden from the eye and all one can see is more than 180 degrees of blue touching blue.

Derech-Hagouf (Jaffa-Chic Wellness Center). In a small turn from Kedem Street (3 Menuha Street) you can find the Jaffa-chic wellness center Derech-Haguf. Go there for an Ayurvedic massage. After the treatment you can sit on the small terrace facing the sea and drink cold tamarind juice. 

The Peres House for Peace in Jaffa by Roi Boshi via Wikimedia Commons

The Peres Center for Peace. An incredible institution named for President Shimon Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner in 1996, this unique center houses what is effectively Peres’s Presidential Library, as well as hosting activities promoting coexistence between Jews and Arabs within Israel and on an international basis.