Tel Aviv Old And Modern

JAFFA – THE ORANGE OF THE EAST

Thousands of years of history comer together in Jaffa , one of world's oldest cities and the birthplace of Tel Aviv. A center of tourism, food and fun, with an exotic Levantine ambience.

Driving to Jaffa is like going through a time tunnel – skyscrapers soar on the left, while ahead lays a city with thousands of years behind it.

The main port of the ancient land of Israel , and one of the first ports in the world. Jaffa was a center of commerce and culture, agriculture and tourism, the destination of shipping lines from Alexandria and Beirut . From the Clock Tower Square , convoys of wagons and camels fanned out to all parts of the land and pilgrims made their way on foot to the holy city of Jerusalem . The clock tower built by the Turkish Sultan Abd al-Hamid the II in 1906, when the land was under Ottoman rule, has recently undergone a facelift, as has the square surrounding it. In the alley next to the Mahmuddiyah mosque, men are absorbed in endless games of backgammon, or shesh-besh, to use the local parlance. Coffeehouses offering narghiles to smoke along with tiny cups of strong black Turkish coffee create an authentic Levantine atmosphere.

The Tel Aviv – Jaffa Tourism Association offers free guided walking tours of Jaffa every Wednesday in English.

Meeting point: the Clock Tower on Yefet Street , at 9:30 a.m. No need for advance booking – just come and enjoy!

TEL AVIV PORT

70 years after its establishment, Tel Aviv's Port became the city's premier entertainment center, with dance clubs, cafes, and restaurants at the waters edge and great shops featuring the work of Israeli designers. The port attracts to its wide wooden promenade thousands of people seeking to combine food, shopping and entertainment with romantic red sunsets, salty sea breezes and white sails on the horizon. If you get here after noontime on a Saturday, forget it - you'll quickly discover that you're not the only one in pursuit of this magical combination.

A bridge across the Yarkon River connects the port to the historic old Reading power station, whose cavernous interior now serves as an exiting venue for post-modem design and art exhibitions. Near the bridge is a foot and bicycle path called the Yarkon Promenade that heads east along the banks of the river into the Yarkon National Park – 875 acres of greenery, water, playing fields and leisure activities for the whole family.

NEVE TZEDEK – THE PIONEERS PRESERVE

Twenty-two years before the founding of Tel Aviv, Jews left the walls of Jaffa and built in nearby Neve Tzedek. These beautifully restored houses and streets preserve the romance of the early days of Jewish urban settlement.

A walking tour for Neve Tzedek is a must for romantics, history lovers and fans of small, winding alleys. This is where the city's first cinema was built in 1914.

The Nahun Gutman Museum is located here in the home of the artist who immortalized the early days of Tel Aviv and Jaffa landscapes in his colorful paintings.

The neighborhood was nicknamed "Little Paris" because of its eye-opening architectural innovations. Today, the most outstanding site is the Suzanne Dellal Centre, a bustling dance and theater complex.

How romantic to sit in the cafes and browse in the boutiques and designers' shops, to see how a charming historic neighborhood survives surrounded by the skyscrapers of progress, enveloping a preserve of Jewish pioneering.