 Haven of history
Tel Aviv’s roots go back to the beginnings of civilisation. The port promontory of Jaffa, now a part of the Tel Aviv urban area, was already a flourishing settlement fifteen hundred years before Christ. Conquered by Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III in 1470 BC, the old town now boasts a reconstruction of the triumphal gateway erected by pharaoh Ramses II (flourished 1250 BC). Conquered by the Jewish kings David and Solomon, held by Alexander the Great and his heirs, fortified by Romans, Arabs, Turks and Crusaders, and conquered by Napoleon, its narrow stone passages and stairways now host shady cafes and antique boutiques. Ringed by mosques and an impressive flea market, Old Jaffa still breathes the exotic atmosphere of the Levant. Business capital Nowadays the city’s trading heart has moved some kilometres to the north-east. On the level ground behind the city’s waterfront, shady modern boulevards lead to immense glass towers, gleaming white against the blue sky. Tel Aviv is Israel’s business capital, home to companies and embassies alike, and the city buzzes by day and night. With the Israeli economy beginning to boom, the city is growing fast, and its impressive Bauhaus quarter (the largest collection of Bauhaus architecture in the world, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2003) is enjoying a new lease of life.  Happy shopping
The business boom is visible in the city’s shops, too. Tel Aviv is an elegant city, and the long boulevards to the north of the city centre boast a riot of fashion, dress and wedding shops. Around the city’s flea market, products as diverse as antique gramophones and modern CDs cluster together in colourful profusion, and the city’s shops offer every luxury and convenience which East and West can produce. Tel Aviv has not forgotten its trading roots: for a happy weekend of shopping, this is the place to come. Sun, sea and sand The sea still rules the city. All the way from the ancient port of Jaffa to the modern port of Tel Aviv itself, the white sand beach sweeps past a fantastic row of hotels and skyscrapers. On the Saturday Sabbath the beach promenade is packed with walkers, joggers, cyclists, holiday-makers and families with their children in prams. The beach-front offers volleyball, beach tennis, tight-rope walking, sailing, jet-skiing, scuba diving, playgrounds and countless other leisure options, and the cool water of the Mediterranean is the perfect place to escape the heat of the midsummer sun.  Gateway to the Holy Land
Less than an hour from Tel Aviv on the public-service bus (number 480 from the Arlozoroff bus station, tickets cost under EUR 4), the city of Jerusalem spreads towards the Mount of Olives. Sacred to three of the world’s greatest religions, Old Jerusalem is a maze of ancient alleyways and cool bazaars, churches, minarets and mosques. Jewish pilgrims flock to the Wailing Wall, the remnant of the Second Temple; Christians crowd to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, said to be the scene of the Crucifixion; Arabs worship at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, from which the Prophet is said to have made his way to Heaven. The Temple compound is the most remarkable sight in the Middle East: dominated by the golden Dome of the Rock, it is the only flat open space in Old Jerusalem. As such, it is the town’s most popular playground, and the most characteristic sight on this holy spot is crowds of small children happily playing football in the shade of the shrines. For more information, visit www.all-israel.com. |
