Notes from Nof Yam: Jaffa Port

(sorry for the delay in posting; this last week was the first week of classes.)

As part of our newbie orientation a few weeks ago, we took afternoon expeditions to the sites surrounding Tel Aviv. One of the most fascinating of those sites is the ancient port of Jaffa. The Wikipedia summary is best to get an idea of the thousands of years of the importance of this location. Conquered and re-conquered, named and renamed, since perhaps 7,500 BCE(!)

Here is our gang in front of a fountain of a whale. Your humble narrator is on the right in purple.

The whale is a representation one that swallowed Jonah after he was thrown overboard by his shipmates. Jaffa was the port from which Jonah was to sail to Tarsus.

Here are a few more pictures of the ancient port. Click to enlarge.

New architecture, across the road from the old.

A cool alleyway. Note the coffee shop on the second story.

This shot says a lot about Jaffa: the old hides the necessary new to preserve the feeling of the old.

A majority of the old port buildings have been converted into artist studios. The upper story of this building is an artist loft, I believe.

The gang heads up the steps toward the town square.

It is difficult, and probably outside of the scope of my mind altogether, to comprehend the thousands of years of continuous history in Jaffa and Jerusalem. I see the the well-maintained minarets and walls and cobblestones worn smooth by millions of footsteps, and I'm reminded of how much it resembles "theming" (like at Disney World) where the details of history are painstakingly recreated to transport the visitor. Here, the process is reversed: we're already transported to the place, and the details are a record of all that place has seen.