The town is associated with some of the great stories from childhood. It was at Jaffa that Perseus managed to save Andromeda from being live bait for a particularly nasty sea monster, and it was also from here that Jonah caught his boat before being swallowed by the whale! Oh, and while we are on Bible stories, it was here that Peter managed to bring Tabitha back from the dead.
There is no visible evidence of Crusader activity in Jaffa, although it was an important port. Richard I realised the importance of Jaffa following his victory at Acre, as the port nearest to Jerusalem and essential for supplies and communications. Saladin also realised Jaffa's importance to the Crusaders and destroyed it before they arrived. The Crusaders spent most of September and October 1191 rebuilding the town's fortifications. Saladin attacked the town in July 1192, while Richard was away in the north. They managed to collapse a section of the defensive wall and entered the city. Richard arrived with his fleet in the nick of time , threw off his leg armour and jumped into the sea. Others followed his lead and the town was saved.
When the Crusaders left in the C13th, their fortifications were deliberately destroyed simply so that they would never return. Thus the Crusader port of Jaffa ceased to exist and it was many years before the settlement developed again. I had a happy half hour being shown around an archaeological dig by the director Yoav Arbel. He works for the Israel Antiquities authority and was able to tell me that although there is no visible evidence in Jaffa from the period of the Crusades, there is plenty of archaeological material below the surface. He showed me examples of Medieval pottery from his current site.
The town developed again under the Ottoman Empire until it was again destroyed, this time by Napoleon in 1799. Following his departure, hastened by outbreaks of cholera and military defeat at Acre, the Ottomans re-established control and the town was rebuilt under the command of a new governor, Abu Nabut. Apparently, his name means 'Father Cudgel' as he liked to walk around the town armed with a heafty stick. He was responsible for building new town walls as well as many new buildings within the town.
The town took further batterings, both under the control of the British between 1917-1947 and during the 1948 War that followed their departure. It is, therefore, remarkable that the town should present itself as it does today.
I am staying in the Old Hostel, a delicious old Turkish home adorned with hanging and personal affects, where the day starts with coffee in the rooftop garden, shaded from the glaring sun by a variety of shrubs and small potted trees. The food in the town is fantastic. Having had felafel for lunch (fried balls of spicy chick peas served in a pitta along with a host of salads and sauces), I went to Dr Shakshuka's restaurant for supper to try his famous eponymous dish. This is a dish of tomatoes, spices and egg, served in a hot metal bowl, in which it has been cooked, and eaten with great hunks of bread. Actually, I stumbled upon his restaurant as I was looking for a place to watch the second half of the England game. I had started off in an ice cream shop, but been driven out by a coach party of Americans all wearing 'Birthright Israel' t-shirts and making inane comments about football in general and the World Cup in particular.
Suspended orange tree, Jaffa
Dr Shakshuka's restaurant
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