Middle East - Anthony Ham [237]
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JAFFA
03 / pop 46,400
After Noah was catapulted to watery fame, one of his sons, Japheth, headed for the coast and founded a new city named Jaffa (Yafo in Hebrew) in his own honour. During Solomon’s time, it came to prominence as a major port city, and it’s allegedly from here Jonah set sail to have his encounter with that famous whale.
Today, Jaffa’s Old City is cute and gentrified. It’s home to Jewish artists and craftspeople, while much of the remainder of this sprawling town is impoverished, home to Arab Muslims and Christians, and, increasingly, Tel Avivans looking for a more ‘authentic’ alternative to the dull high-rise Tel Aviv suburbs. This has sent prices in Ajami, a seaside Jaffa neighbourhood just south of the Old City, sky-rocketing, sometimes creating a new pocket of inter-faith tolerance, sometimes causing tension between Arab fishing families who’ve been here for generations, and their new, company car–owning neighbours.
Sights & Activities
For thousands of years, Old Jaffa was a thriving commercial and fishing port. The once-active residential community of longshore-men and market traders of today, however, is a pretty – if staid – maze of art studios, galleries and outdoor cafés. It centres on Kikar Kedumim (Kedumim Sq), ringed with restaurants and galleries and dominated by the pastel-shaded St Peter’s Church ( 8-11.45am & 3-5pm).
In an underground chamber at the centre of the square, a small Visitors Centre ( 10am-6pm) describes the history of Jaffa from its beginnings as a Canaanite settlement nearly 4000 years ago, and offers a 15-minute film on its history. To the east of the square, the HaPisgah Gardens have a nice view north up the coast to Tel Aviv, and make a pretty stroll past some ancient Egyptian ruins.
Nearby, the Ilana Goor Museum ( 683 7676; www.ilanagoor.com; 4 Mazal Dagim St; adult/child/student/senior 24/14/20/20NIS; 10am-4pm Sat-Thu, 10am-6pm Fri), housed in an 18th-century stone hostel on the aquatically named ‘Lucky Fish’ St, is a small museum featuring the sculptures and furniture of its artist-owner namesake.
If you’re in the market for a lamp the shape of a Spanish guitar or a delightful formica table, head without delay to the teeming flea market ( 8am-6pm Sun-Thu, 8am-3pm Fri), which makes up the heart of ‘new’ Jaffa. Here, you can also satisfy all your nargileh, incense and Indian floaty clothing requirements, and munch on good-value meals in tiny local lunch joints.
After that filling lunch, walk down to the Ajami district, where gentrified Ottoman homes still exist side-by-side with tiny, ramshackle fishermen’s shacks, for a taste of the real lives of Jaffa residents.
Sleeping
If the big city–style of Tel Aviv’s not your thing, consider basing yourself in Jaffa, where the pace is a little less frenetic.
Old Jaffa Hostel ( 682 2370; inisrael.com/old jaffahostel; 8 Olei Zion St; dm 68NIS, r 190-350NIS) In a beautiful old Turkish home, decorated with historic Arabic furniture and objets d’art, this place offers rather small but definitely cosy private rooms, and a lovely, breezy rooftop garden. Some travellers have recently complained about standards of cleanliness, but our visit found the hostel spick, span, and extremely welcoming.
Beit Immanuel ( 682 1459; beitimmanuel.org; 8 Auerbach St; dm 85-90NIS, s/d/tr 210/300/390NIS) Clean and tidy, this tucked-away guesthouse and hostel, attached to a Messianic community worship centre, is a great alternative to Tel Aviv’s party-vibe hostels. It’s perfect for those seeking a little tranquillity. The hostel welcomes families with children, and is housed in a lovely old building, built in 1884 by actor Peter Ustinov’s father. Guesthouse rates include breakfast.
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THE HUMMUS TO END ALL HUMMUS Amelia Thomas
Throughout your trip, you’ll doubtless be subjected to many disagreements over where exactly sells the region’s best hummus. But in this author’s humble opinion (along with that of hundreds of in-the-known natives) there’s no question that the world’s hummus