Nachlaot (, also
Nahlaot) is a cluster of
neighborhoods in central
Jerusalem,
Israel known for its narrow, winding lanes, old-style housing, hidden courtyards and many small synagogues. Neighborhoods in Nachlaot (plural of
nachala, lit. "homestead") include Mishkenot Yisrael, Ohel Moshe, Mazkeret Moshe, Zichron Yosef, Sukkat Shalom, Zichron Yaakov, Shevet Ahim and Nahalat Ahim. (
Mahane Yehuda sits next to Nachlaot and is commonly thought to be part of that neighborhood. It is, in fact, in the neighborhood of
Mahane Yehuda.)
History
The neighborhoods that make up the Nachlaot district were established outside the walls of the
Old City beginning in the late 1860s as the
Jewish Quarter became increasingly overcrowded and unsanitary. Mishkenot Yisrael was built in 1875. The name comes from a biblical verse (Numbers 24:5): "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob/Thy dwellings, O Israel."
Mazkeret Moshe was founded by Sir
Moses Montefiore in 1882 as an
Ashkenazi neighborhood.
Ohel Moshe is a Sephardi neighborhood established alongside it. Former Israeli president
Yitzhak Navon grew up in Ohel Moshe, and the neighborhood served as the inspiration for his play
Bustan Sephardi (Sephardi Orchard). The Banai family, a famous family of actors and singers, lived in Nachlaot. A Syrian Jewish community settled in Nachlaot in 1900 and built the
Ades Synagogue, which was completed in 1901. Jerusalem's
Mahane Yehuda outdoor market is located in Nachlaot. Rabbi
Aryeh Levin, known as the "prisoners' rabbi" for his visits to members of the Jewish underground imprisoned in the
Russian Compound, lived in Mishkenot Yisrael. Nahalat Ahim, south of Rehov Bezalel, was founded in 1925 for the Yemenite community.
Gentrification
In the wake of gentrification projects in the area, housing prices have risen steeply.
Notable residents
Yitzhak Navon
Ehud Banai
Yossi Banai
Aryeh Levin
Yosef Qafih
Uzi Baram
Michael Levin
Uzi Narkiss
References
Category:Neighbourhoods of Jerusalem
