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A Day in Jaffa – Gateway to the Ancient World

January 23, 2019 by April Harris 30 Comments

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Step back in time in Jaffa, a port in the southern part of Tel Aviv with an incredibly rich history. It is a real gateway to the ancient world!

Jaffa is a port in the southern part of Tel Aviv with an incredibly rich history. Some believe it was built by Japheth, one of Noah’s sons, after the great flood. It was later conquered by King David and his son Solomon; cedars from Jaffa were used to build King Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem.

Visiting Jaffa The Gateway to the Ancient World
The Bible says Jonah set sail from Jaffa before his encounter with the whale, and it is here that St Peter had a vision from God and also raised Tabitha from the dead. And that only takes us into the very beginning of the time we refer to as AD!

View of Jaffa from Tel Aviv

Jaffa is about a twenty-five minute walk along the beach from near the centre of Tel Aviv. To be fair I could normally walk the distance in about fifteen minutes, but it really is very hot indeed, so it takes a bit longer.

There are plenty of benches along the route if you feel the need to sit down and the view over the sea is well worth pausing for. Jaffa is easy to find as the tower is visible from the beach in Tel Aviv. Just head along the beach towards it and you’ll soon be there!

A Stroll Around Jaffa

An amazing enclave, Jaffa is a real step back into the past. While the tiny streets near the town square and gardens may be crowded with tour buses, only a few streets back quiet cobbled stair lined streets meander up and down past buildings that have been standing for centuries.

Jaffa Collage

There’s something amazing around every corner – like this house, the home of Simon, The Tanner.

House of Simon the Tanner
“Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
Acts 10 : 6-7

‘Joppa’ was the latinized form of the name ‘Jaffa’. This is the house where Saint Peter had the vision described in the following verses of Acts 10. The vision God sent led Saint Peter to include gentiles in the newly founded Christian church.

St Peter’s Church

Some sources say that Peter also raised Tabitha from the dead there (Acts 9), others claim it was in a house on the site of the church of St Peter.

St Peter's Church

St Peter’s Church

St Peter’s Church is such a beautiful, profoundly peaceful place. It’s a relatively new building, built in 1894, but there have been churches on this site for over a thousand years.

St Peter's Church, Interior

St Peter’s Church, Interior

I felt such a sense of awe as I knelt to pray.

There are also lots of wonderful, quirky old buildings in the side streets of Jaffa, as well as many shops and galleries. Don’t miss the Zodiac Fountain in the main square, just up from the church.

The Zodiac Fountain

The Zodiac Fountain

Archaeological excavations under this fountain lend support to the legend of an ancient wishing well on this spot. The legend says that if a person made a wish and cast a coin into the well, the wish would be granted instantaneously. Curiously, there were no coins in the fountain, so I didn’t throw one in to test the legend!

Taking a Break in Jaffa

If you feel the need for an ice cream at this point (I often do!), try the Gelateria just across from the fountain. They sell gelato by the scoop in little cups (so no tears when it falls off the cone in the heat). I tried the Hazelnut and Mint flavours and they really were refreshing and delicious. There are also lots of little restaurants and cafes scattered around if you fancy something a little more substantial.

If you wander down the steps and across the road (watch out for buses and motorbikes!) you will see public toilets. They were very clean when I visited. Suitably refreshed, you may want to climb the steps next to the conveniences up into the beautiful gardens.

There’s a Zodiac Bridge in the gardens, a sister or brother to the fountain, which is also supposed to grant your wishes, but it’s really not very remarkable – just an old iron bridge. Enjoy the sculptures in the garden and climb up to the highest point for a fabulous view of Tel Aviv. Or walk downwards and see two archaeological sites – one a Canaanite temple, one a Egyptian fortress.

Archaeologists were actually working in the Egyptian Fortress one of the days I visited. It was incredible watching the ancient buildings being excavated, cleaned and looking almost new in the sunlight.

From top left, clockwise - The Gardens at Jaffa, view of Tel Aviv, Lion Temple, Egyptian Fortress Excavations

From top left, clockwise – The Gardens at Jaffa, view of Tel Aviv, Lion Temple,
Egyptian Fortress Excavations

Jaffa is billed as ‘The Gate to the Ancient World’ and it truly is that. Even after several visits, I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface of of this remarkable place and I look forward to exploring it further. If you ever find yourself in Tel Aviv, do take the time to pay a visit to Jaffa.

More Travel Posts

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A Bird’s Eye View of London

The 17 Mile Drive to Pebble Beach

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Filed Under: Israel, Jaffa, Travel Tagged With: House of Simon The Tanner, Israel, Jaffa, St Peter's Church, Tel Aviv, Travel, Visiting Jaffa, Zodiac Fountain

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Comments

  1. Mel {MamaBuzz} says

    November 8, 2013 at 3:49 am

    Wow, so much history. Isn’t it wonderful to explore and find places that are more off the beaten path, like the quiet, cobbled stair lined streets? I love seeing the real heart of each place that we visit. You make me want to visit Jaffa. Love your photos. Thank you for sharing on Inspire Me Wednesday. Featuring you in next week’s issue.

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      November 8, 2013 at 9:18 pm

      Thank you so much, Mel! That is very kind of you to feature my post. I agree, there is nothing like finding somewhere off the beaten path and having the time to really explore 🙂

      Reply
  2. judee@ Gluten Free A-Z Blog says

    November 10, 2015 at 3:53 am

    April,
    Thank you for sharing your adventures in Jaffa! So much fun seeing all the photos and learning a little more about the history. I’ve been there a few times myself. I think I had ice cream in the Galleria too! Enjoy!

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      November 10, 2015 at 8:44 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Judee 🙂

      Reply
  3. Linda (Meal Planning Maven) says

    November 10, 2015 at 4:18 pm

    Thank you so much for bringing back such wonderful memories of our visit to Jaffa! So much incredible beauty and wonderful history! We wanted to try Dr. Shakshuka but didn’t have enough time. Thank goodness were able to get our shakshuka fix at many other places! 🙂

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      November 10, 2015 at 4:23 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed my post, Linda 🙂 I agree, Jaffa really is one of most amazing places I have ever visited!

      Reply
  4. Ellen says

    July 11, 2016 at 3:14 pm

    That’s absolutely gorgeous! I would love to visit Jaffa some day! What beautiful architecture!

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      July 11, 2016 at 5:18 pm

      Thank you, Ellen! I hope you do get to Jaffa one day – it really is amazing 🙂

      Reply
  5. Alicia says

    July 11, 2016 at 3:39 pm

    What a beautiful and historic city. I can’t imagine walking through so much rich culture and history and knowing what feet trod the ground before!

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      July 11, 2016 at 5:19 pm

      It really is, Alicia. I was totally blown away thinking about the footsteps I was walking in 🙂

      Reply
  6. Shirley @ gluten free easily (gfe) says

    July 11, 2016 at 6:45 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing, April! I love traveling around the world through friends’ (including blogger friends’) photos and stories. 🙂 My friend Johnna of In Johnna’s Kitchen was in Israel in February and she shared some of the same photos, history, and spots on Facebook, but hasn’t shared them on her blog yet. I’m sure she’ll enjoy re-living her visit through your post (which I will share with her) and enjoying another’s perspective.

    Shirley

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      July 12, 2016 at 10:39 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed this Jaffa post, Shirley. I’m still working on a post about our visit to Jerusalem. It was so awesome it’s hard to put it into words! I’ll visit Johnna’s blog – I’d love to see her perspective too!

      Reply
  7. Tammilee Tips says

    July 12, 2016 at 3:59 am

    I love the history of the older parts of countries! I haven’t visited Jaffa before but I am putting it on my travel bucket list to visit, looks beautiful.

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      July 12, 2016 at 10:43 am

      Me too, Tammilee – the history of a place always fascinates me. I am sure you would love Jaffa, it’s a great one for the bucket list 🙂

      Reply
  8. Nina Lewis says

    July 12, 2016 at 11:05 am

    You make me want to go to Jaffa! I love your pictures — especially the one of the church.

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      July 12, 2016 at 5:57 pm

      It really is a wonderful place to visit, Nina! Thank you, I think the church was one of my favourite parts of Jaffa.

      Reply
  9. Barb W. says

    July 12, 2016 at 11:37 am

    Wow, what an amazing trip that must have been! I loved just looking through your photos!

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      July 12, 2016 at 5:58 pm

      Thank you so much, Barb. It really was incredible!

      Reply
  10. Kathleen Kennedy-Leon says

    July 12, 2016 at 12:18 pm

    Wow–what an amazing trip. I’ve never been to Tel Aviv and it sure does look beautiful! Your photos give a real sense of what Jaffa looks like, I especially love the fountain and doors and streets. Makes it come alive.

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      July 12, 2016 at 5:59 pm

      Thank you so much, Kathleen! It really was an amazing trip. I’m so glad you enjoyed the photos 🙂

      Reply
  11. Jean | DelightfulRepast.com says

    December 14, 2016 at 5:28 pm

    April, somehow I missed this post — so glad I found it today! Tweeting!

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      December 14, 2016 at 5:33 pm

      I’m so glad you read it today, Jean, and thank you! Also thank you for tweeting 🙂

      Reply
  12. Pauline Wiles says

    January 22, 2019 at 3:35 pm

    Jaffa looks absolutely beautiful and I love that it’s walkable (albeit a hot one!) from Tel Aviv. Thank you for the ice cream tips too!

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      January 23, 2019 at 9:23 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Pauline 🙂 Jaffa is definitely one of my favourite places to visit in Israel!

      Reply
  13. Mother of 3 says

    January 25, 2019 at 9:47 pm

    That looks like an amazing area to visit and what a wonderful history to go along with it.

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      January 26, 2019 at 10:28 am

      Jaffa really is a wonderful place, Joanne. Thank you!

      Reply
  14. Claire Justine says

    January 26, 2019 at 5:38 pm

    I enjoyed reading about Jaffa, April. I have never been before and I would love to explore here. Lovely photos.

    Thanks for sharing at Welcome To The Weekend Blog Hop. Have a lovely weekend.

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      January 29, 2019 at 12:42 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Claire! Thank you 🙂

      Reply
  15. judee says

    January 28, 2019 at 11:37 pm

    Thanks for sharing- I’ve been there and it’s very interesting and beautiful

    Reply
    • April Harris says

      January 29, 2019 at 12:44 pm

      I’m so glad you have had the opportunity to go too, Judee! Thank you 🙂

      Reply

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