Jaffa Walls

Hi,

House from within is always a good time to visit new places, or learn about old places new things (in earlier years we visited places like Jallet house in Jerusalem).

This time we (Atzva, Jannaeus and me) we went looking after Jaffa walls. Just like Jerusalem and Haifa  which are now the main cities of Israel. The walls of Jerusalem are still standing and I enjoy visiting each and every time. We walked along Haifa walls once and now it is Jaffa turn.

We were late to get there on time, and missed the first half hour. Unfortunately Jannaeus didn’t cooperate and Atzva (now in 7th month) decided we should sit down and eat. So I added more information from websites online.

The walls were built around 1860  by Mohammad Agha al-Shami which was known by the name Muhammad Abu Nabbut, which was a powerful ruler over Jaffa and Gaza. Nabbut in Hebrew slang mean a club (as a weapon). And that exactly what that his name means – He used to walk around the city with a club to keep things down the way he wanted.

The walls were part of the rebuilding of Jaffa that was damaged during the conquer by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799, and 1837 earthquake. Shortly after the building of the walls of Jaffa they were started to be dismantled for Jaffa started to spread outside the walls. That came from the security and safety the capitulations of the Europe countries brought and the building of institutes of those European countries.

I listed down the location along the path of the ruins of Jaffa walls, and also on google map below 🙂

The path of Jaffa walls on the street map and on aerial photo that were given on the tour of houses from within

Setai hotel – Two long walls of the north tower can be seen in basement floor corridor. Those are the remains of then north tower an define clearly the pentagon shape of tower (Left Picture by Dor Nevo)

Mahmoudiya Mosque was built in different times. Its outer walls were part of the city fortification, before the  walls of the city were dismantled .
A sabil (fountain), embedded in the southern wall of the mosque, is attributed to Sulayman Pasha.

Jerusalem (as the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem led to the road to Jaffa). It had two arches with 3 domes and a keep. It was called after the builder Jaffa fortification – Muhammad Abu Nabbut. What is left are remains of two towers (on inside Shawarma Abu-lafia resutrant) and the inner court. The pics are from: Félix Bonfils, Courtesy of The New York Public Library

What left of Jerusalem Gate looking from north – Jaffa walls

 What is left are remains of east of the two towers (on inside Shawarma Abu-lafia resutrant) and the inner court.‏

Jerusalem Gate from the inner yard, on the left is west tower of the gate.

Explanation sign on Jerusalem gate – explaining about the building of the Jaffa fortifications built by (Mohammad Agha al-Shami) in the beginning of the 19th century. He was also Called Abu-Nabut (the father of the  club) – for he used to walk around the city street and hit people with his club.

 

The Ha-Zorfim street (The goldsmiths’ road) was the inner road along the city wall. The buildings to the east are built upon Jaffa walls.

In 1869 the New Gate was opened in the city walls, until these time Jaffa only had one gate (Jerusalem Gate). Not long after another open was made in the wall, what made the gate usable. This open can be defined as the start of the walls demolish process. This passage is considered as the new gate, although some say it is a new crossing built with the new buildings. And that the new building on Ha-Pninim 12 (The pearls) was built on top of it.

Yefet street was the road the run along the walls and moat. The building to West are the street are build upon Jaffa walls and the moat.

East walls of Jaffa (Source: The buildings of Yafo-Tel-Aviv tells) [added 09.02.2019]

The remains of the batter, tower and Bastion of Jaffa walls preserved inside Jaffa hotel – (Pohot: Dor nevo)

The biggest part of remained of Jaffa walls, the outer big milestones were reused in the other buildings (Photo: Dor Nevo and Hurley on the right)

South walls of Jaffa (Source: The buildings of Yafo-Tel-Aviv tells) [added 09.02.2019]

An old pics shows Jaffa walls meeting the shore, here stood a sea tower

The sea part of Jaffa walls (the sea wall) around 1860-1870

The Northern wall of Jaffa fortification that was also the northern wall of Jaffa old police station (now the Setai hotel). The wall batter can still be seen on the lower part of this walAn explanation sign on Jaffa fortification is set on this wall. The sign is set on a double wall that that was built on the cell were the Nazi war criminal, Eichmann, was held during his trail

 

 

Bibliography (I can’t believe I got to this stage…. ):
Xnet
Wikipedia
Tlv100