Jaffa Port

Jaffa Port (Hebrew: נמל יפו‎, Nemal Yafo) is an ancient port on the Mediterranean Sea, located in the Old City of Jaffa, now Israel.

Jaffa and its port have a history spanning over three millennia. The port itself is mentioned in various ancient works, including the Hebrew Bible, such as the book of Jonah, and the works of Josephus describing Jewish history and the First Jewish Revolt against Rome. For over 7,000 years it has been actively used, predating Muslims, Christians, Jews, and even Egyptians. Still functional as a small fishing port, the port is currently a recreational zone featuring restaurants and cafés. A lighthouse, Jaffa Light, is located above the port.

In 1917, during World War I, British troops under General Allenby defeated the Ottomans and took Jaffa, which became part of the British-administered Palestine Mandate (1922–1948). In 1947 and 1948 there was sharp fighting between Jaffa, which was largely inhabited by Arabs, and the adjoining Jewish city of Tel Aviv. On 13 May 1948 (a day before the proclamation of the State of Israel), the Arab forces in Jaffa were defeated after long fighting with the Zionist underground Haganah and Irgun Zva'i Leumi forces. On 24 April 1950, the Jewish city of Tel Aviv and the Arab city of Jaffa were unified, and the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality was established.

Jaffa

Jaffa (Hebrew: יָפוֹ,  Yāfō ; Arabic: يَافَا‎), also called Japho or Joppa, is the southern, oldest part of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical stories of Jonah, Solomon, and Saint Peter as well as the mythological story of Andromeda and Perseus.

Etymology

The town was mentioned in Egyptian sources and the Amarna letters as Yapu. Mythology says that it is named for Japheth, one of the sons of Noah, the one who built it after the Great Flood. The Hellenist tradition links the name to Iopeia, or Cassiopeia, mother of Andromeda. An outcropping of rocks near the harbor is reputed to have been the place where Andromeda was rescued by Perseus. Pliny the Elder associated the name with Jopa, the daughter of Aeolus, the god of the wind. The Arab geographer Al-Muqaddasi referred to it as Yaffa.

History

Early antiquity

Tel Yafo (Jaffa Hill) rises to a height of 40 meters (130 feet) with a broad view of the coastline. Hence it had a strategic importance in military history. The accumulation of debris and landfill over the centuries made the hill even higher. Archaeological evidence shows that Jaffa was inhabited roughly 7,500 years BCE.

Old City (Jaffa)

The Old City of Jaffa is an area in Jaffa in Israel. It is located in the southern part of the Tel Aviv – Jaffa municipality.

Jaffa is a walled city; the main entrance is the Jaffa Gate, Bab el-Halil or Hebron Gate, built by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1538.

Israel Tours Operator Tel Aviv – Jaffa Day Tours, Tour Guide Tel Aviv – Jaffa.

References

Coordinates: 32°3′16.13″N 34°45′10.94″E / 32.0544806°N 34.7530389°E / 32.0544806; 34.7530389

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv-Yafo (Hebrew: תל אביב-יפו‎ pronounced [ˈtel ˈaviv ˈjafo], Arabic: تل أبيب يافا‎) or Tel Aviv (Hebrew: תל אביב‎ pronounced [ˈtel ˈaviv], Arabic: تل أبيب‎) is a city in Israel, and the second most populous city administered by that country's government after Jerusalem. Situated on the Mediterranean coastline in central-west Israel, Tel Aviv has a population of 426,138. The greater Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, also known as Gush Dan, constitutes Israel's largest conurbation with 3,713,200 residents, 42% of the country's population. Tel Aviv is governed by the Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality, headed by Ron Huldai, and is home to many foreign embassies.

Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 by Jewish immigrants on the outskirts of the ancient port city of Jaffa (Hebrew: יפו‎ Yafo). Immigration by mostly Jewish refugees meant that the growth of Tel Aviv soon outpaced Jaffa's, which had a majority Arab population at the time. Tel Aviv and Jaffa were merged into a single municipality in 1950, two years after the establishment of the State of Israel. Tel Aviv's White City, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003, comprises the world's largest concentration of Bauhaus buildings.