Jaffa is One of the World’s Oldest Cities
An Ancient City
Jaffa is one of the world’s oldest cities, with a harbor that has been in use since the Bronze Age. The city’s history is connected to a series of successive conquests that rocked Israel through the millennia. In biblical times, Jaffa was ruled by the Egyptians, the Canaanites, the Philistines and other ancient peoples. The tribal Israelites of the post-Exodus period enjoyed a period of rule that was interrupted by the Assyrians, then the Babylonians and other conquerors. The Romans captured and destroyed Jaffa during Maccabean times, slaughtering thousands as well.
The Many Conquerors
During the Middle Ages, Jaffa came under Arab control and served as a major regional port and provincial capital. The Crusades marked a violent period with fighting between the Christian forces and Saladin who tried to keep the area from falling to Christian rule. When the city came under the control of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, it was in ruins. Jaffa was slowly restored but local residents left during the 18th century due to pirates who took control of the port. World War One brought British control with the Mandate period that lasted some 28 years, until Israel’s independence in 1948. Following Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, Jaffa became part of the new State of Israel, and then was folded into the municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
Modern Jaffa
Today’s Jaffa is a city with a diverse population of Jews, Muslims and Christians. Currently undergoing a wave of gentrification, Jaffa is a socio-economic mix of young artists, new wealth and older, less affluent inhabitants. Culturally, Jaffa has become a place where creative types of all kinds live, work and set up shop, making its streets a maze of discovery – with galleries, theaters, restaurants, a flea market and an antique district – for the curious visitor.
