Tel Aviv
Founded in 1909 by sixty Jewish families on the empty sand dunes just north of the ancient town of Jaffa, Tel Aviv means the Hill of Spring. Blending an architectural style that marries the Middle East environment with the European roots of many of its original settlers, Tel Aviv expanded to become Israel’s commercial and cultural center.
It was here that the newly independent state of Israel was declared in May 1948.
Excavations north of the city uncovered the ancient settlement of Tel Qasila and led to the creation or the Eretz Israel Museum in Ramat Aviv. Tracing the history of Mediterranean life from prehistoric times, the museum displays finds in several attractive pavilions, each dedicated to a different theme – pottery and ceramics, glass, coins, ethnology and folklore. The nearby Museum of the Diaspora (Bet Hatfutsot) is dedicated to the 2,000 year history of the Jewish people since the destruction of the Second Temple.
This page is part of the book The Holy Land of Jesus
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