History

The history of Tel Aviv harkens back millennia to the ancient port city of Jaffa. While the exact origins of Jaffa are still somewhat a mystery, archeological evidence has proven that the metropolis was already a bustling port as early as 4,000 years ago. The Canaanites were one of the first people to populate the city, followed by the Egyptians and the Philistines. Many other civilizations subsequently came to control Jaffa over the next few centuries, including the Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks. Among the most noteworthy societies to rule Jaffa were the ancient Israelites, who used its thriving wharves to ship timber from the Lebanese interior. The vibrant economic activity saw Jaffa emerge as one of the region’s most energetic harbors, becoming a nexus for the movement of all kinds of exotic goods throughout the eastern Mediterranean basin. But by the height of the Roman Empire, Jaffa had lost its status as the region’s predominant port to the nearby town of Caesarea and its ingenious artificial dock. Despite Jaffa’s economic decline, its proximity to several other important communities still made the city a vital transportation and communication center. Indeed, this quality resulted in Jaffa becoming the target for numerous foreign armies throughout the Middle Ages, including the Ayyubids, Mamluks, and Christian crusaders.

Jaffa finally fell under the jurisdiction of the Ottoman Empire in 1515. The city gradually began to reestablish itself as a seaport over the next two centuries, although a lack of investment to develop its surrounding shoreline made the landing of goods notoriously difficult. Jaffa’s road network was also an integral tool used by countless religious pilgrims, who passed through frequently on their way to the Holy Land further south. This socioeconomic activity produced a prolonged period of expansion for Jaffa that saw its population continuously increase well into the modern age. In fact, Jaffa had eventually grown to rival Jerusalem culturally and politically by the 1800s. A significant factor contributing that change was the immigration of middle-class European families of Jewish descent into Jaffa throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Inspired to reconnect with their heritage, the migrants had chosen to settle in Jaffa and its surrounding villages. Over time, the Jewish expats had even formed two unique neighborhoods known as “Newe Ẓedeq” and “Newe Shalom.” However, the residents soon yearned to create an independent enclave within Jaffa that would be autonomous in character.

In 1909, several dozen Jewish families gathered along the beach beyond northern Jaffa to begin building a distinctive community eventually known as “Tel Aviv.” Since those present could not agree on how to properly divide the land, the group ultimately agreed to draw lots. One prominent individual in attendance, Akiva Arieh Weiss, specifically oversaw the creation of a lottery. Writing the names of the families and lot numbers on a collection of differently colored seashells, he proceeded to select random pairings to decide the land plots. Its inhabitants then constructed numerous buildings throughout the neighborhood in what would become the area’s first modern Hebrew community. Tel Aviv dramatically increased in size over the following years, although it did stop momentarily following the Ottoman’s forced deportation of the entire population during World War I. (The Ottomans had feared that the Jewish settlers were sympathetic to the British, who had attacked the region toward the end of the conflict.) To help Tel Aviv endure the expansion, Scottish architect Sir Patrick Geddes arrived and worked with local engineers to comprehensively renovate the community’s layout.

Geddes and his team recrafted Tel Aviv into a stunning example of a 20th century “garden city,” complete with gorgeous communal squares and picturesque public parks. Geddes’ work succeeded in enabling Tel Aviv to handle additional waves of immigrants over the next several decades. This was particularly true when Tel Aviv developed into a haven for hundreds of Jewish immigrants fleeing rising levels of persecution in Central and Eastern Europe before World War II. The neighborhood expanded rapidly, reaching a size of 130,000 by 1936. The newest arrivals introduced even more European cultural influences into the city, most notably the widespread use of Bauhaus-inspired architecture. Amid this surge in growth, local civic leaders were able to declare the community an actual city, with Meir Dizengoff elected to serve as its mayor. In fact, Tel Aviv had become so large that it was eventually able to absorb all of Jaffa into its own borders following the creation of modern Israel in 1947. Now officially known as “Tel Aviv-Yafo,” the metropolis has since remained one of the most important cities in the region. It is currently an exciting tourist destination, particularly among droves of cultural heritage travelers who are fascinated by its wealth of historical landmarks. Indeed, both Tel Aviv and Jaffa are even listed together as a joint UNESCO World Heritage Site!

The Elkonin Tel Aviv Hotel – MGallery stands today as one of Tel Aviv’s best examples of authentic Art Deco architecture. Art Deco architecture itself is among the most famous architectural styles in the world. The form originally emerged from a desire among architects to break with the past architectural precedents that had dominated for generations. Instead, professionals within the field aspired to forge their own design principles. More importantly, they hoped that their ideas would better reflect the technological advances of the modern age. As such, historians today often consider Art Deco to be a part of the much wider proliferation of cultural “Modernism” that first appeared at the dawn of the 20th century. Art Deco as a style first became popular in 1922, when Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen submitted the first blueprints to feature the form for contest to develop the headquarters of the Chicago Tribune. While his concepts did not win over the judges, they were widely publicized, nonetheless. Architects in both North America and Europe soon raced to copy his format in their own unique ways, giving birth to modern Art Deco architecture. The international embrace of Art Deco had risen so quickly that it was the central theme of the renowned Exposition des Art Decoratifs in Paris a few years later. Architects the world over fell in love with Art Deco’s sleek, linear appearance as defined by its series of sharp setbacks. They also adored its geometric decorations that featured motifs like chevrons and zigzags. But despite the deep admiration people felt toward Art Deco, interest in the style gradually dissipated throughout the mid-20th century. Many examples of Art Deco architecture survive today though, with some of the best located in such places as New York City, London, Paris, and of course, Tel Aviv.

• Albert Einstein, Nobel Prize winning physicist known for his role in developing quantum theory.
• David Ben-Gurion, 1st Prime Minister of Israel (1955 – 1963)
• Chaim Weizman, 1st President of Israel (1949 – 1952)
• Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, 2nd President of Israel (1952 – 1963)
• King Abdullah I of Jordan (1921 – 1951, including reign as Emir or Transjordan)