| As its name indicates, it leads toward Jaffa, which was the main port city of Israel during the Ottoman period. As Jerusalem expanded in the second half of the nineteenth century and its population ventured beyond the walls of the Old City, neighborhoods and structures began to develop along this route, and its importance as the main artery of the city thus increased. As a matter of fact, for quite a while, Jaffa Road ''competed'' with Ha-nevi'im Street, along which hospitals and consulates were erected, for the status of Jerusalem's main street. This contest was won by Jaffa Road. This may be viewed as the victory of bustling daily life over the cold formality of Ha-nevi'im Street. During the British Mandate period, several important public buildings were constructed along Jaffa Road, such as the Anglo-Palestine Bank, the Central Post Office, and the Generali Building. In effect, it was in this period that the street took its close to final shape, as we know it today. We might have expected to find skyscrapers, shopping malls, and modern business centers on the capital's main thoroughfare, but we are in for a surprise. The main artery of the capital of Israel is, in actuality, an Ottoman street with finishing touches by the British Mandate. This is, without doubt, part of the city center's charm: many buildings are low, with only two or three stories and their roofs are covered with red tiles, and in the city's picturesque quarters we find structures with ornamentation carved in stone, from a period when stone sculpting and construction were not only a profession, but an art. In recent years, Jaffa Road has lost some of its importance, due to the construction of the huge neighborhoods around the city, and the establishment of shopping centers in Talpiot and Manahat (Malha). Nonetheless, it still occupies a special place, certainly an honored one, in the consciousness of every Jerusalemite. |
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