In the hill of spring

Tel Aviv, Israel’s capital, is not an old city if you compare it with many world capitals. But then Israel itself is a young country, born in 1948, three years after the Second World War folded up. However, a settlement existed in the area much earlier, named Ahuzat Bayit founded by 60 families in 1909 as a Jewish neighbourhood near Jaffa, the old port city. In 1910, the name was changed to Tel Aviv, meaning ‘hill of spring’, which according to experts, has connotations of a new beginning as well.

Israel’s second largest city, after Jerusalem, Tel Aviv is quite a hip city with a vibrant night life, multi-cuisine restaurants, and boutique outlets. At the same time, the city seems to be living on the beach on the Mediterranean sea. Looking out from the hotel window during the early hours of the day, I saw joggers, cyclists, walkers thronging the promenade. While taking a stroll with them, it seemed that the citizens take their physical fitness quite seriously, age no bar. The public bike hire system that lets locals and visitors pick up and drop off green bicycles at 150 stations citywide, including along the beach, has made cycling a popular sport. Cyclists in groups whizzed past us along the promenade’s dedicated lanes.

Chaotic markets
However, my first real introduction to the city was a rather chaotic scene at the Carmel open-air market. It was a Friday afternoon close to Sabbath, which is taken quite seriously in Israel, and most shops and establishments are closed till Sunday afternoon. The market is interesting indeed, with everything from household needs, food outlets, and fast food kiosks jostling for space. This is the best place to experience the local flavour. Quite like an Indian bazaar actually, but on a larger scale. The locals were shopping almost in a frenzy. After walking a bit further, I stumbled upon an open-air handicrafts fair next to the Nahalat Benyamin quarter, with artists and women designers selling jewellery, glass paintings, knick-knacks etc. The air was festive and a singer was holding forth with throaty folk songs, apparently familiar to the listeners. I roamed around and sampled some local food topped with delicious pomegranate juice.

Quite different from Carmel, Manshia is another area worth exploring. It is actually an old train station now reconstructed. This station near Jaffa was built in the 19th century in the Ottoman era to link the port town with Jerusalem. Later it was abandoned as Ottoman rule came to an end. The government has made good use of the beautiful structure to turn it into a four-acre leisure complex, accommodating galleries, boutiques, restaurants, cafés and a weekly farmers’ market. The open area in the middle is also used for entertainment programmes with free entry.

Tel Aviv is often called a ‘white city’ because of its white painted Bauhaus buildings, stark and without frills, built in this particular architectural style. The city has the largest collection of Bauhaus buildings in the world, constructed by people who had fled Germany in the 1930s as Nazism was gaining ground. The Rothschild Boulevard has a cluster of Bauhaus buildings and are now recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

Jaffa, on the other hand, is a much older part of the city. The port is more than 4,000 years old and the Arab influence is palpable — in the minarets, kebab stalls and winding lanes. The quaint port area is famous for sea food restaurants. Tourists also flock to its flea market; but one has to know how to bargain to get a good deal.

Around here is an interesting museum-cum-gallery called Ilana Goor Museum, located in an 18th century building overlooking the sea. The eclectic collection of artist Ilana Goor and her own creations are spread over three floors. The place is a must-visit for those interested in modern art. Art aficionados can also make a stop at the Tel Aviv Museum of Modern Art which houses a huge collection inside a beautiful modern structure.

Old civilisations
Tel Aviv’s old port, built in 1936, declined when a new one was built in the 1960s. The abandoned port area was redone in 2000s adding a wide wooden boardwalk, playgrounds and bike paths, and the old warehouses were transformed into a commercial centre with designer stores, restaurants etc and is a big draw for local people on weekends.

The sea was rough that day as I took to the boardwalk; the crashing waves sprinkled water on my face and I felt a sense of adventure thinking about the seafarers on this ancient waterway girdling two continents.

Tel Aviv is not far from Caesarea, ancient capital of King Herod, built as a port city in Roman times. While on way to this more-than-2,000-years-old ancient centre of power, it seemed a contrast that all the big IT companies’ offices lined the road. Israel is high on skill development in the IT sector, the new power quotient.

Caesarea is now a national park. Excavations are still in progress and new artefacts and architectural styles are being discovered constantly. A sudden discovery of a stone with writings prove that Pontius Pilatus, under whose rule Jesus Christ was crucified, actually lived here. It is a good idea to catch a film shown at the auditorium in the park to get introduced to the astonishing architectural genius and imagination of the master builder Herod, who artificially constructed a harbour (Sebastos), and then built a great city to establish his capital. Caesarea was gifted to Herod by Augustus Caesar, hence it bears his name.

The park has been witness to different periods in its history, it now houses Greek statues, Byzantine tiled baths, Crusader period remnants, etc. I roamed around the amphitheatre built to seat 4,000 spectators, the hippodrome which held horse races, entertainment programmes etc. Later, Arab conquerors silted up the harbour and it went into disuse and the city soon declined. In a nutshell, it is the history of many cities, but new ones always spring up, as has Tel Aviv.