Opened in 1963, Ashdod harbor caused the decline of the famous ancient post of Jaffa. In the early 2000s, the municipality went in and overhauled the area, creating a wide boardwalk and transforming the derelict warehouses into commercial space. It is now the most fashionable piece of real estate in the city, with a 1km long strip of restaurants, bars and nightclubs. It is at its busiest after dark and on weekends when hordes of young clubbers descend on the strip of discotheques.
Clock tower & flea market
For many visitors, Jaffa’s main attraction is not the thousands of years of history but the simple joy of browsing through what seems to be a thousand years of junk. East of Yefet St, the streets of Jaffa are taken over by a city wide flea market, which has a decent reputation for antiques and interesting oriental bits and pieces. It’s a great place to pick up an old pair of boots, a rusty xylophone or, as one marketeer tried selling us, a 6ft-tall grinning plastic monkey wearing a top hat and trench coat. The market could require several visits if you’re a serious shopper, as new items appear regularly. Bargaining is the order of the day, and the stall holders’ traditional sales patter includes the one about making a quick first sale early on Sunday morning to bring good luck for the coming week. It’s closed on Saturday.
As you are heading in or out of town, take a moment to contemplate the Ottoman clock tower, built in 1906, on Yefet St.
To the southwest of the clock tower is Mahmudiya Mosque (1812), which was built using columns filched from Caesarea and Ashkelon; it’s closed to non-Muslims.
Nearby is located very popular bakery, which is in our opinion is a bit overrated.
and Ice-cream Jeff gelateria Italiana cheating with half-cups.
Old Town
The important part of Jaffa is its orchards. Evidence of the existence of orchards around Jaffa can be found in the 18th century. Orchards gradually grew up around the city and became the mainstay of the economy exported to the Mediterranean markets. The Shamoitu orange developed here became known as Jaffa orange and this hanging tree is to remind of the special Jaffa citrus.
You should ramble around the old town…
…and find your horoscope on the building. After that you need to touch it and make a wish.
View around the city
An ancient legend holds that if anyone boards the bridge, holds his or her zodiac sign, and makes a wish – this wish will come true.
Horoscope circle:
In general, you can spend about half of a day on Jaffa, taking into account the stops to cool down and take a break from the heat. We highly recommend this place to visit if you are in Tel Aviv.
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