|
Statistic/Fact |
Value
|
| Elevation from the
sea |
32 meters |
| Maps |
A
detailed map of Jaffa city (almost 1 MB in size)
Map of Jaffa district and neighboring villages
|
| Coastal shore length |
5.5 (km) |
| Distance from other towns |
| Town |
Distance From Jaffa
|
| al-Latrun |
32 (km) west |
| Bab al-Wad |
39 (km) west |
| Beersheba |
105 (km) south west |
|
al-Lydd airport
|
19 (km) west
|
|
Safad
|
162 (km) north West
|
|
Qisaryah
|
63 (km) north
|
|
al-Matalah
|
201 (km) north
|
|
Naharya
|
130 (km) north
|
|
Jinin
|
99 (km) north west via R'as al-'Ayn
|
|
Amman, Jordan
|
165 (km)
|
|
New York, USA
|
9,143 (km)
|
|
| Jaffa's name though
history |
| Inhabitants |
Jaffa's Name
|
| Canaanites |
Jaffa was first founded by the Canaanites and they
used to call it Yafi (gorgeous). |
| Ancient Egyptians |
Yapu or Iapu |
| Israelites |
Yafo (its current name) |
|
Assyrians
|
Ya-ap-pu
|
|
Greeks
|
Yoppa
|
|
Arabs
|
Arabs called Jaffa Yafa, and some geographic Arabic books referred
it by Yefeh too.
|
|
|
Nearby
rivers and wadies
|
al-'Awja River
terminates 9 km
north of Jaffa, and Rubin River (also known
by Wadi al-Sarar) terminates 13 km south of Jaffa.
|
|
City area size |
In 1945, Jaffa city covered an area of 9,737 dunums, which
didn't include the roads, wadies, and railroads, ... etc.
|
|
District's size |
Jaffa's district covered an area of 334.8 square
kilometers, which included 18.6 square kilometers for roads, wadies, railroads,
... etc. In 1945, Zionists owned 129.5 square kilometers from the total
district size,
which constituted 38.6% of the district's total size.
|
|
Villages and settlements |
The district of Jaffa included 23 villages within
its municipality,
two German colonies (Sarounah and Weil Helma), and the following
Jewish colonies:- Tel Aviv, Pitach Teqva (Mlabiss), Choloun, Tel
Luftinski, and Beit Yam. Click here for a
detail map for the villages and the nearby colonies in the district of Jaffa.
|
| Population |
| Year |
Total |
Arabs |
Jews |
| 1931 |
51,866 |
44,638 |
7,209 |
| 1945 |
66,310 |
66,280 |
N/A |
| 1947 |
70,760 |
70,760 |
N/A |
| 1950 |
N/A |
4,000 |
N/A |
|
1958
|
56,500
|
6,500
|
50,000
|
|
1965
|
100,000
|
10,000
|
90,000
|
Before the 19th
century, Jaffa's population varied between 500 to 5,000 people.
Click
here
for complete population break down. |
| Port |
Jaffa and Haifa ports were considered to be the major ports in Palestine, and
both were publicly owned and operated by the Government of Palestine.
Before WW II, Jaffa's port was underdeveloped, and because
of its treacherous sea ships often had to continue sailing north to Haifa.
Usually, ships had to anchor few miles from
the shore, and then unload their passengers and goods to small boats to
transport them to the shoreline. As Haifa' port, Jaffa's port was developed
just before WW
II to receive
steamers and passenger ships.
|
|
Average Temperature
|
|
Month/1944
|
Average*
|
Average
Hi*
|
Average Low*
|
|
January
|
13
|
17.4
|
8.5
|
|
February
|
N/A
|
18.6
|
N/A
|
|
March
|
14.6
|
20
|
9.1
|
|
April
|
17.1
|
22.5
|
11.8
|
|
May
|
19.1
|
23.3
|
14.9
|
|
June
|
22.4
|
27.2
|
18.6
|
|
July
|
24.6
|
28.7
|
20.4
|
|
August
|
24.6
|
29.1
|
20
|
|
September
|
23.5
|
28.7
|
18.4
|
|
October
|
21.7
|
27.2
|
16.2
|
|
November
|
18.4
|
22.8
|
13.9
|
|
December
|
14.7
|
18.7
|
10.7
|
* In centigrade.
For conversion purposes, temperature of 24 centigrade = 75 fahrenheit.
|
|
|
Rainfall
and humidity
|
|
Year
|
Rainfall*
|
Humidity*
|
|
1929
|
727.7
|
76
|
|
1930
|
671.9
|
72
|
|
1931
|
404.7
|
70
|
|
1932
|
315.7
|
68
|
|
1933
|
308.3
|
71
|
|
1934
|
405.5
|
77
|
|
1935
|
718.0
|
75
|
|
1936
|
488.7
|
73
|
|
1937
|
N/A
|
75
|
|
1938
|
765.2
|
77
|
|
1939
|
880.3
|
69
|
|
1940
|
578.3
|
68
|
|
1941
|
525.9
|
68
|
|
1942
|
451.4
|
68
|
|
1943
|
814.7
|
70
|
|
1944
|
470.4
|
70
|
* In millimeters |
|
Statistic/Fact |
Value
|
|
Mayor
|
Jaffa's last mayor was Dr. Yosef Haykal.
|
| City's income and expenses |
| Year |
Income* |
Expenses*
|
| 1927 |
29,148 |
28,880 |
|
1929
|
36,546
|
36,097
|
|
1933
|
65,732
|
51,424
|
|
1935
|
96,659
|
91,810
|
|
1936
|
49,039
|
66,882
|
|
1939
|
50,273
|
47,458
|
|
1941
|
84,670
|
75,892
|
|
1943
|
119,340
|
99,995
|
|
1944
|
201,639
|
193,585
|
* In Palestinian Pound
|
|
Agriculture
|
Jaffa was well known for its cash crops as citrus and
Bananas. In 1945, Arabs planted 146,316 dunums with Citrus, while
66,403 dunums were planted by Jews.
|
|
Industries
|
Jaffa was the most advanced city in Palestine in the
development of its commercial, banking, fishing, and agriculture industries. Jaffa had
many factories specializing in cigarette
making, cement making, tile and roof tile production, iron
casting, cotton processing plants, traditional
handmade carpets,
leather products, wood box
industry for Jaffa orange, textile, presses
and publications. It should also be
noted that the majority of all publications and newspapers in Palestine
were published in Jaffa.
Since Israeli still maintains and enforces the "Law Of Absentees",
all Jaffa's industries, farms, buses, cars, railroads, cattle, real
states, ... etc. have been looted and became the property of the "Jewish
state". When similar injustices were perpetrated against Europe's
Jewish citizens (by the Germans and the Swiss during WWII), the Jews of the world demanded justice for their looted art works
and properties. The question which begs to be asked is :-
Are
the Palestinian people entitled for compensation for their looted properties?
|
Port's
imports and exports |
| Year |
Tons Imported |
Tons Exported
|
| 1926 |
121,552 |
45,554 |
| 1927 |
95,322 |
31,073 |
| 1928 |
113,269 |
330,699 |
|
1929
|
129,625
|
75,841
|
|
1930
|
133,241
|
100,862
|
|
1931
|
151,975
|
77,873
|
|
1932
|
221,123
|
106,824
|
|
1933
|
348,767
|
96,888
|
|
1934
|
486,974
|
120,967
|
|
1935
|
402,525
|
171,819
|
|
1936
|
135,493
|
115,302
|
|
1937
|
126,842
|
152,427
|
|
1938
|
113,042
|
149,766
|
|
1939
|
112,711
|
153,856
|
|
1940
|
43,025
|
58,704
|
|
1941
|
24,641
|
1,971
|
|
1942
|
3,219
|
1,980
|
|
1943
|
22,464
|
10,776
|
|
1944
|
8,886
|
7,493
|
|
| Fishing industry |
| Season |
Quantity
in Tons |
Worth in British
Pound
|
| 1921 |
140 |
7,277 |
| 1922 |
147 |
13,760 |
| 1929-1930 |
306 |
15,325 * |
|
1935-1936
|
670
|
23,028
|
|
1937-1938
|
705
|
26,318 **
|
|
1940-1941
|
550
|
19,946
|
|
1942-1943
|
573
|
119,190
|
|
1943-1944
|
957
|
250,890
|
|
1944-1945
|
1,056
|
292,570 ***
|
* Palestine total fishing for this year was
951 tons, which was worth 46,102 British Pounds.
** Palestine total fishing for this year was 1,699 tons, which was worth 59,651 British Pounds.
*** This was the only yearly statistic which did not include Tel Aviv's
totals.
|
|
Newspapers
|
|
Name |
Notes
|
|
Filisteen
|
Founded in 1909 by 'Issa Doud al-'Issa and Yousef al-'Issa. This
newspaper was considered to be the largest
newspapers in Palestine before al-Nakba, and al-Nakba it resumed publication
in Jerusalem, and it 1967 was shut down.
|
|
al-Salam
|
Founded in 1920 by Naseem Maloul, Its name means Peace.
|
|
al-Jazeerah
|
Founded in 1924 by Hassan and Mahamoud al-Dajani. Is name means Island.
|
|
Sout al-Haq
|
Founded in 1927 by Fihmi al-Husseini. Its name means The Voice of
Truth.
|
|
al-Jamia' al-Islamyyah
|
An islamic related paper, which was founded in 1932 by Suliman al-Taji al-Farouki.
|
|
al-Difa'
|
Founded in 1934 by Ibrahim al-Shanti. Its name means Defense.
|
|
Haqiqat al-'Amr
|
Founded in 1937 by the Histadrut in Tel Aviv.
|
|
al-Jihad
|
Founded in 1939 by Muhammad al-Maslami
|
|
al-Sha'b
|
Founded in 1947 by Hilmi Hanoun and Idmound Rouck. Its name means
The People.
|
|
al-Youm
|
Founded in 1949 by the Histadrut and its editor was Dr. Abu al-Thu'yb.
Its name means Today.
|
|
al-Huryyah
|
Founded by Heirout part (now the Likud
party). Its name means Liberty.
|
|
Sada al-Taribyah
|
Semi monthly newspaper founded in 1952. Its name means The
Echo Of
Education.
|
|
al-Youm le 'Awladuna
|
Semi monthly newspaper for kids founded in 1960. Its name means A
Day For Our Children.
|
|
al-T'awun
|
Founded in 1961 by Dar al-Nasher al-'Arabi. Its name means
Collaboration.
|
|
|
Magazines
|
|
Name |
Notes
|
|
al-'Asma'i
|
Founded in 1909 by Hana 'Abdallah al-'Issa, which was the first
magazine to be published in Palestine.
|
|
al-Haqq
|
Founded in 1923 by Fihmi al-Husseini. Its name means The Truth.
|
|
al-Nashra al-Tijaryyeh
|
Founded in 1924 by Jaffa's chamber of commerce. Its name means The Commercial
Publication.
|
|
al-Tahreer
|
Founded in either 1935 or 1936 by Iskandar al-Halabi and Muhammad
Yousef al-Din al-Irani. Its name means Liberation.
|
|
|
Markets/Suqs
|
|
Suq Name |
Notes
|
|
Bistriss-Iskandar 'Awad
|
Named after the affluent Lebanese families, Bistriss and Iskandar
'Awad. The Suq used to start from the government building and it ended
just before Jamal Basha avenue.
|
|
al-Dayr
|
Belongs to the Waqf of the Roman Orthodox monastery.
|
|
al-Huboub
|
For grain and agricultural products Suq.
|
|
al-Manshyyah
|
It was located in al-Manshyyah neighborhood.
|
|
al-Maslakh
|
The meat market.
|
|
al-Balabseh
|
The merchants who founded this Suq trace their roots back to Balbees, Egypt.
|
|
al-Is'aaf
|
The most modern Suq in Jaffa which was built on Jaffa's old cemetery.
|
|
|
Neighborhoods
|
|
Name
|
Notes
|
|
The old city
|
Located in the center of the city, which including al-Tabyeh, al-Qal'ah (the castle),
and al-Naqeeb.
|
|
al-Manshyyah
|
Located North of the city center, which was built after the WW I.
The neighborhood was
destroyed during the 1948 war.
|
|
'Irsheed
|
Located south of al-Manshyyah, which was founded by Egyptians from
Rasheed, Egypt.
|
|
al-'Ajami
|
Located south of city center.
|
|
al-Jabalyyah
|
A neighborhood south of al-'Ajami.
|
|
'Ihrayyesh
|
A neighborhood North of al-'Ajami.
|
|
al-Nuzha
|
The most modern section of Jaffa located west
of city center, and it was built after WW I.
|
|
al-Malakan
|
N/A
|
|
Residential areas
|
The residential areas of Darweesh* (south), al-'Aryaneh, Abu
Kabeer* (2 km west), Hamad* (north of Abu Kabeer), Sabeel Abu al-Nabut,
al-Turki, Tall al-Reesh (west of city center) ...etc.
* These residential areas were founded by Egyptians soldiers
who stayed behind after Ibrahim Basha's (son of Muhammad Ali)
Palestine campaign, which ended in 1841.
|
|
Click here, for
detail map description of all Jaffa neighborhoods.
|
|
|
Schools
|
|
Boys School
|
Notes
|
al-'Amouryah
High School*
|
Named after Abu 'Ubayda Ibn al-Jarah, the conqueror of Palestine in
18 Hijra, whose shrine is located in 'Imwas.
The high school was founded in 1937, and was located in al-Nuzha
neighborhood. The school had a library that used to contain 4,700 books.
|
al-'Amouryah*
Elementary
|
Located next al-'Amouryah High School, and it had a library that contained 133 books.
|
|
al-Marwanyah*
|
N/A
|
|
al-Ameriyah*
|
N/A
|
|
al-'Ayoubyah*
|
The school was founded in 1938, and it was located in al-'Ajami
neighborhood. The schools library used to contain 991 books.
|
|
Hassan 'Arafa**
|
Founded in 1940-1941 in al-'Ajami neighborhood. The school carries the name of its founder, a wealthy merchant by the name of Hassan 'Arafa, and it had an attendance of 404 students,
and a library that contained 1,331 books.
|
|
al-Amawyah**
|
Elementary school founded on October 10th, 1945
|
|
al-'Abasiyih**
|
Elementary school that was founded on December 15th , 1946.
|
|
al-Riyad**
|
An elementary school founded on December 1st , 1946, and it was named
after the neighborhood that it was located in.
|
|
al-Yarmouk**
|
Elementary school founded on November 1st, 1947
|
|
Tariq Ibn Ziyad**
|
An elementary school founded on October 10th, 1947.
|
|
al-Fisalyah***
|
An elementary school located in the al-Manshyyah neighborhood, which
had an attendance of 122 boys.
|
|
al-Islahyah***
|
An elementary school located in the Abu Kabeer neighborhood, which had
an enrollment of 196 boys, and its library contained 524 books.
|
|
* Government school
** City school. Note that all city schools have
cumulatively 39 instructors.
*** Private school
Notes
1)Cumulatively, all Government schools had an enrollment of 1,698
boys, and 54 instructors.
2)Cumulatively the last five city schools had an enrollment of 1,120
boys, and there libraries contained 766 books.
3)Jaffa also contained another undocumented 3 boys school and 6 mixed foreign
schools.
Click
here, for general school statistics.
|
|
Girls School
|
Notes
|
al-Zahra'
High School*
|
Named after Madinat al-Zahra' nearby Qurtobah, Andalusia (Southern Spanish
province), which was founded 1938 in al-Nuzha neighborhood. The
school also used to have a library that contained 1,659 books.
|
|
Banat Yaffa*
|
Located in al-Manshyyah neighborhood.
|
|
Khawlah Bent al-'Azhar*
|
Located in al-Manshyyah neighborhood.
|
|
'Ameirah Subhyah*
|
Located in al-'Ajami neighborhood.
|
|
'Asma' Bent al-Sideeq*
|
Located in al-'Ajami neighborhood.
|
|
al-'Adawyah**
|
An elementary school founded on October 10th, 1943, which had an enrollment of 468 students who were teaching them 14 instructors, and a library that had 538 books.
|
* Government school, and cumulatively had
1,604 students, and 45 instructors.
** City school.
Click
here, for general school statistics.
|
|
|
Mosques
|
|
Name |
Notes
|
|
al-Tabyeh
|
The oldest mosque located in al-Tabyeh
neighborhood in the Old City
|
|
al-Shaykh
Raslan
|
Located in the old city next to the Latin
Monastery.
|
|
Hassan
Basha
|
Located on the road leading to the port near al-Manshiyyah
neighborhood. The mosque is still standing, but it is abandoned and
need serious renovations guys! The mosque was named after its
founder the Algerian Hassan Basha who was the governor of
Jaffa before WW I.
|
|
al-Bahr
|
Located next to Hassan Basha mosque.
|
|
al-Kabeer
|
Also known by al-Nabut mosque, named after the
former Turkish governor of Jaffa. Marble columns from khirbats nearby Qissarya and
al-Majdal 'Asqalan have been cannibalized for the mosque's construction.
|
|
al-Dabagh
|
Located in the old city and named after the
family which founded it (an affluent Jaffa family).
|
|
al-'Ajami
|
Located in al-'Ajami neighborhood.
|
|
'Irsheed
|
Located in 'Irsheed neighborhood.
|
|
al-'Jabalyyah
|
Located in al-'Jabalyyah neighborhood.
|
|
al-Siksik
|
Located west of the city center.
|
|
Hassan
Biek
|
Located in al-Manshyyah neighborhood.
|
|
al-Nuzha
|
Located in al-Nuzha neighborhood.
|
|
It should be note that there were more mosques in
the residential areas located between the plantations areas (bayarat)
and Jaffa City.
|
|
|
Churches and
Monasteries
|
Jaffa had ten churches and three Monasteries.
-
Each of the Christian sects in Jaffa maintained a church of its own: Roman Catholics, Maronites, Armenian,
Qebtic,
Scottish, and Anglican Lutherans.
-
The Roman Orthodox maintained a church, a monastery for Saint Michael, and another church known by Saint George.
-
The Latin sect maintained a church, a
monastery for Saint Peter, and another one for Saint Anthony as well.
|
|
Hospitals
|
|
Name |
Notes
|
|
al-Dajani
|
Founded by Dr. Fou'ad al-Dajani in the early 30s. It had 50 beds and served 2,221 patients in 1944. |
| Government
|
Founded during the Ottoman period in al-'Ajami neighborhood.
In 1944, it had 160 beds, and served 2,939 patients. |
| French |
Founded in 1876 in al-'Ajami
neighborhood, and in 1944 it had 57 beds, and served 869 patients. |
| British |
The hospital was located in
al-'Ajami neighborhood, and in 1944 it had 160 beds, and served 2,939 patients. |
| German |
The hospital was in operation until WW II and until then it used to
have 20 beds.
|
|
|
Archeological sites
|
|
Name |
Notes
|
|
Tel Yafa
|
Contains the remains of a
tower, graves, and written materials nearby Sabeel Abu Nbut
neighborhood. |
| Tel Muqdad
|
Located at the termination
point of al-'Awja River (9 km north of Jaffa), which contained an ancient
tower and building foundations. |
| Tel al-Qusylah |
Located south of al-Haram (Seidna
al 'Ali) village |
| Tel Jareishah |
Also know by Tel Napoleon
because it was the camping grounds of Napoleon during Jaffa's siege
in 1799. This Tel contained an ancient cemetery. |
| al-Haddar |
Located near al-'Awja river which contained the remains of dams and water mills.
|
| al-Khirbah |
Contained inscriptions and ancient mosaics.
|
| Tel al-Raqeet |
Elevated 40 meters above see level and located 4 km north of the
al-'Awja river termination point (just west of Keiryat Sha'ol)
|
| Tel Abee
Zeitun |
Located near al-Haddar (see above location) near the al-'Awja river.
|
| Rashboun |
Also known by khirbat al-Muntar, located East of 'Arsouf.
|
| Khirbat al-Hadrah |
Located near al-Haddar (see above location) near the al-'Awja river,
which contained an ancient cemetery.
|
|
|
Statistic/Fact |
Value
|
| Occupation date |
13th of May 1948 |
|
Attacking Israeli force |
More than 5,000 well trained and well equipped Haganah and IZL forces.
|
| City defenders |
Jaffa defenders were made up from of a combination forces
as follows:-
-
Arab Liberation Army headed by 'Abdel Nijim al-Din
and Michael al-'Issa (Palestinian Christian from Jaffa).
-
Local Palestinian volunteers.
-
50 Yugoslavian Muslim Mujahideens who volunteered to
defend the city.
-
Many Palestinian Germans from the German
colonies near Jaffa and some Italian volunteers.
Altogether, the defending force was 1,500 volunteers strong, which was
very poorly trained, under armed, and they had few months only to build Jaffa's
crumbling defenses. Despite the odds, many of these heroes withstood a three months onslaught
and siege.
It should be noted that Jaffa was never allocated to the Jewish
state by the UN GA partition plane, and it had also no Arab Armies.
Click here,
to read more about the battle for for Jaffa in Arabic.
|
|
Refugees' migration route
|
The mass majority of Jaffa's inhabitants, numbering at least 50,000, were pushed
into the sea. Similarly, Haifa's population, numbering at least
35,000, suffered the same fate on the May 23rd, 1948. . Click
here to view a map that illustrates refugees' migration routes.
Via boats, many of the refugees landed in Gaza, 'Areash (Egypt), and some
made it all the way to Beirut (Lebanon). Also some people fled inland to al-Ramla,
al-Lydd, and the well off refugees
fled to Jerusalem and Amman.
Ironically, often Zionists accuse
the Arabs of plotting to push the Jews into the sea!
|
|
Ethnical cleansing
|
The mass majority of Jaffa's population were ethnically cleansed. Out
of the 70,000 Palestinians who used to call Jaffa home, only 3,650 were
allowed to stay. The remaining Palestinian population were boxed in al-'Ajami
neighborhood, where their movements were severely restricted until 1966.
Click here,
for a detail eye witness account depicting the cleaning of Jaffa.
|
|
Casualties on both sides
|
According to Manachem Bagen, IZL has taken at least 1,000 casualties (either
killed or injured), and unknown number for Haganah's casualties. On the
Palestinian side, they suffered over 1,300 killed including 20 Yugoslavian
Muslim Mujahideens.
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Soon after occupation, the Zionists blew up and bulldozed most
of Jaffa's (75%) Arab section, and only the al-'Ajami, Old City, and small
part of al-Mansheyyah survived demolition. Mostly (if not all) Jaffa's Suqs were
obliterated including Suq al-Nahaseen, Suq al-Balabseh, Suq al-Maslakh, ..etc. In 1954, Jaffa
became the suburb of Tel Aviv, and since then both cities are known by Tel
Aviv-Yafo.
Currently, Jaffa's Old City neighborhood is being renovated, and mostly it is
being inhabited by artists.
Jaffa's main port has been closed
and all its shipping has been diverted either to Tel Aviv or Isdud ports. Jaffa's
main Clock Square now called Kikea Hagana (The Haganah's Square) and Jaffa's main street Bistress-Iskandar 'Awad
is
now known by Rehev
Mifrats Shelomo. Jamal Basha street name has been changed to Jerusalem
street, and big portion of al-Manshiyyah neighborhood became a public park. It also should be note that currently Jaffa's Arab population
numbers around 10,000 people.
View
in Google Earth
