WALK No. 3      BACK

 

OLD JAFFA

Exotic Jaffa is a must for every tourist's itinerary. It is far more than a promontory studded with quaint artists' studios and galleries, jewellery shops, boutiques and curio stores. It is also a nightclub capital, with everything offered from striptease to Israeli folkdancing. In addition, Jaffa is rich in history and legend (see ``History'').

Old Jaffa is a 40-minute stroll from the promenade at Tel Aviv's shorefront along Retsif Herbert Samuel. Alternatively, you can take bus number 10 from Rehov Hakovshim, or bus number 46 from the Central Bus Station.

You will pass the Charles Clore Park adjacent to the shore. (The closed down Dolphinarium is where the park ends on the Tel Aviv side.) Opposite is a large-scale urban renewal project. When completed it will be an exciting stretch of riviera, complete with office buildings, hotels, shops, widened roads and broadened beaches.

Get off the bus near the clocktower at the entrance to Jaffa. This is Kikar Hahagana (Hagana Square). The tower was built in 1906 by a Turkish Sultan, Abdul Hamid II, to mark the 30th anniversary of his accession to the throne. Its ornamental bars and stained-glass windows, each of which depicts an episode in Jaffa's history, are the work of a kibbutz member from Ashdot Yaacov.

Turn left into Rehov Bet Eshel at the southern end of the square (the bus approaches from the north). One block down, on your right, you'll find the beginning of the sprawling, cacophonic Shuq Hapishpeshim (Flea Market). A sample of the range of wares offered includes Oriental jewellery, Persian carpets, beaten lead and copperware, ivory carvings, Victoriana, pots and pans, ancient maps and bizarre lampshades. A word of advice: don't buy the first object you like for the first price quoted. Accept the blandishments and coaxings of the vendors as part of the colour and ``chutzpah'' of the shuq. Bargaining is the order of the day and you need not be embarrassed to suggest a drastically reduced price and then happily settle for something slightly more reasonable. After you've had your fill of this district return to Kikar Hahagana and cross the main road into Rehov Mifratz Shlomo. The minaret on your right soars over the Mahmoudiya Mosque, whose cloisters are a magnificent sight of vaulted ceilings.

The kiosks and open-air cafes that you pass now offer all the sweet pastries common in the Middle East, such as Baklawa, Chadif, Zlabiya and Malfuf. This is the authentic background to sample a plate of kebab, or fresh fish, with Arabian-style salads, and then to sip Turkish coffee. Prices are reasonable.

The first of Old Jaffa's nightclubs are on your left. A few seconds later, also on your left, is the Museum of Antiquities of Tel Aviv-Jaffa. The archaeological collection comes from chance finds and excavations in the Tel Aviv - Jaffa area.

 

Marble columns and capitals outside the museum are from the 1st century BCE and were brought from Caesarea during the last century.

Continue up Rehov Mifratz Shlomo. The panorama of the Tel Aviv shoreline opens up spectacularly below. The black cluster of rocks in the sea are called Andromeda's Rocks. Greek legend holds that the maiden Andromeda was chained to one of them when Perseus swooped down on his winged horse, slew the sea monster and rescued her.

After passing several cafes you come to the orange- coloured Church of St. Peter, Holy Land, administered by Franciscan fathers. Several wood carvings inside are exquisite.

The flight of steps leading downhill, just before the church, takes you to the area of the old port where fishermen bring in their daily catch. But this detour should be taken at the end of the walk.

Enter Kikar Kedumim, the focal point of Old Jaffa, by walking up the stone steps opposite the church. This square is almost ringed by nightclubs and cafes, shops and studios. In the centre of the square are excavations of buildings dating back to the 2nd century BCE. Explanatory signs and recorded descriptions are available at the site.The first turning left at the far end of the square takes you to a site of archaeological excavations and a bird's-eye view of Tel Aviv. Follow the tarred road up the hill and veer right before the road goes downhill. The view from the summit is breathtaking.

Return to the square, walk down the flight of steps on your left and turn left into a paved alley, Simtat Mazal Dagim (Pisces Lane). This is the first of many streets named after the signs of the Zodiac. It is best to shop where your fancy leads you.

Make your way back to Simtat Mazal Dagim and Kikar Kedumim. Cross the stairs to the other side of the square and descend the steps along Rehov Shimon Haburski (Simon the Tanner). Facing you at the bottom of this street is the huge wooden door of the house that tradition says belonged to Simon the Tanner. It was here that St. Peter stayed after miraculously restoring Tabitha to life, as recorded in Acts 9:36-43. Inside the courtyard you can see a well that was used in Jesus' time, and a stone-sculptured coffin which is believed to have been made during Simon's time, and which the conquering Moslems refashioned into a wash-stand to purify themselves before prayer. The minaret dates from these times the walls of the mosque previously enclosed a Crusader church. The floor, however, is from earlier times.

Simtat Mazal Keshet (Sagittarius) leads off to the right just before Simon the Tanner's house. It descends past the decorative facades of private residences. Veer right at the bottom and walk along Netiv Hamazalot (Lane of the Zodiac). There are more shops and galleries on your right, and glimpses of the sea can be caught on your left.

From the Church of St. Peter you can either take the steps to your left, downhill through the park to the harbour and sea wall, or continue down Rehov Mifratz Shlomo to the clocktower for the return trip to Tel Aviv.