Mahane Yehuda Market
Encyclopedia
Mahane Yehuda Market often referred to as "The Shuk", is an outdoor marketplace in Jerusalem, Israel
. Popular with locals and tourists alike, the market's more than 250 vendors sell fresh fruits and vegetables; baked goods; fish, meat and cheeses; nuts, seeds, and spices; wines and liquors; clothing and shoes; housewares, textiles, and Judaica.
In and around the market are falafel
and shawarma
stands, juice bars, cafes, and meat restaurants. The color and bustle of the marketplace is accentuated by vendors who call out their prices to passersby. On Thursdays and Fridays, the marketplace is abuzz with shoppers stocking up for Shabbat
.
to the north, Agrippas
Street to the south, Beit Yaakov Street to the west, and Kiach
Street to the east. The market itself has two major streets: Eitz Chaim Street (the covered market) and Mahane Yehuda Street (the open-air market). Bisecting these two streets are smaller streets named for fruits and nuts: Afarsek (Peach) Street, Agas (Pear) Street, Egoz (Walnut) Street, Shaked (Almond) Street, Shezif (Plum) Street, Tapuach (Apple) Street, and Tut (Berry) Street.
), Shalom Konstrum, and Joseph Navon
— and was named after Navon's brother, Yehuda. It abutted another new neighborhood, Beit Ya'akov
, founded in 1885.
At the end of the 19th century, a marketplace was established between the two neighborhoods on an empty lot owned by the Sephardi
Valero
family; this market was known as Shuk Beit Yaakov (Beit Yaakov Market). Here Arab merchants and fellah
een sold their goods to the residents who lived outside the Old City. As the new neighborhoods outside the Old City grew, the Beit Yaakov Market grew apace with more stalls, tents and pavilions.
Under Ottoman rule, the market expanded haphazardly and sanitary conditions worsened. In the late 1920s, the British Mandate authorities cleared out all the merchants and built permanent stalls and roofing. Afterwards the market began to be known as the Mahane Yehuda Market, after the larger neighborhood.
In the 2000s, major renovations were made to the Mahane Yehuda Market, including infrastructure work, repaving roads and covering some open areas.
has a station on Jaffa Road, right near the market.
The first generation of the Banai family of actors and musicians originally lived at 1 HaAgas Street at the southern end of the market. In 2000 the Jerusalem municipality renamed this street as Eliyahu Yaakov Banai Street after the family's patriarch. Ehud Banai
, a family member, wrote a song entitled "One HaAgas Street", which describes the life and atmosphere at the family home.
In 1976 Rami Levi opened his first store on Hashikma Street, one of the streets in the Mahane Yehuda district, selling food products to consumers at wholesale prices. Today Rami Levi Hashikma Marketing
(TASE:RMLI) is the third largest food retailer in Israel.
In the mid-2000s, Ethiopian
food sellers began to appear in and around the market.
Long known for bargain prices on everything from vegetables to clothing, the market has upgraded its offerings in recent years. Three new designer clothing stores opened in 2007; there are also new bistro
s, gourmet delicatessans, an Italian coffee house, an imported kitchenware shop, and sellers of boutique wines and cheeses.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Popular with locals and tourists alike, the market's more than 250 vendors sell fresh fruits and vegetables; baked goods; fish, meat and cheeses; nuts, seeds, and spices; wines and liquors; clothing and shoes; housewares, textiles, and Judaica.
In and around the market are falafel
Falafel
Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans. Falafel is usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces...
and shawarma
Shawarma
Shawarma is a Levantine Arab sandwich-like wrap of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or mixed meats. The meat is placed on a spit, and may be grilled for as long as a day. It is eaten with pita bread, tabbouleh, fattoush, taboon bread, tomato and cucumber. Toppings include tahini, hummus,...
stands, juice bars, cafes, and meat restaurants. The color and bustle of the marketplace is accentuated by vendors who call out their prices to passersby. On Thursdays and Fridays, the marketplace is abuzz with shoppers stocking up for Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
.
Location
Mahane Yehuda market is bounded by Jaffa RoadJaffa Road
Jaffa Road is one of the longest and oldest streets in Jerusalem. It crosses the city from east to west, from the Old City walls to downtown Jerusalem, the western portal of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. It is lined with shops, businesses and restaurants...
to the north, Agrippas
Agrippa II
Agrippa II , son of Agrippa I, and like him originally named Marcus Julius Agrippa, was the seventh and last king of the family of Herod the Great, thus last of the Herodians. He was the brother of Berenice, Mariamne, and Drusilla...
Street to the south, Beit Yaakov Street to the west, and Kiach
Alliance Israélite Universelle
The Alliance Israélite Universelle is a Paris-based international Jewish organization founded in 1860 by the French statesman Adolphe Crémieux to safeguard the human rights of Jews around the world...
Street to the east. The market itself has two major streets: Eitz Chaim Street (the covered market) and Mahane Yehuda Street (the open-air market). Bisecting these two streets are smaller streets named for fruits and nuts: Afarsek (Peach) Street, Agas (Pear) Street, Egoz (Walnut) Street, Shaked (Almond) Street, Shezif (Plum) Street, Tapuach (Apple) Street, and Tut (Berry) Street.
History
The neighborhood of Mahane Yehuda was established in 1887 with 162 houses. It was founded by three business partners — Johannes Frutiger (a German Protestant and owner of the largest bank in PalestinePalestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
), Shalom Konstrum, and Joseph Navon
Joseph Navon
Joseph Navon was a Jerusalem businessman and the man principally responsible for the construction of the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway. For his effort, Navon was awarded the Légion d'honneur from the French government, and the Medjidie from the Turkish government, where he was also promoted to the title...
— and was named after Navon's brother, Yehuda. It abutted another new neighborhood, Beit Ya'akov
Beit Ya'akov, Jerusalem
Beit Ya'akov is a small neighborhood in Jerusalem, founded in 1877, the ninth Jewish neighborhood outside the walls of the Old City. The neighborhood borders Jaffa Road and Avishar Road. The Mahane Yehuda Market is located there today....
, founded in 1885.
At the end of the 19th century, a marketplace was established between the two neighborhoods on an empty lot owned by the Sephardi
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
Valero
Jacob Valero
Jacob Valero was the founder of the first private bank in Palestine, Jacob Valero & Company.In 1839, Jacob Valero appeared in Jewish communal records as a ritual slaughterer of the Sephardi community in Jerusalem. In 1849, he was described as a "talmid hakham"...
family; this market was known as Shuk Beit Yaakov (Beit Yaakov Market). Here Arab merchants and fellah
Fellah
Fellah , also alternatively known as Fallah is a peasant, farmer or agricultural laborer in the Middle East and North Africa...
een sold their goods to the residents who lived outside the Old City. As the new neighborhoods outside the Old City grew, the Beit Yaakov Market grew apace with more stalls, tents and pavilions.
Under Ottoman rule, the market expanded haphazardly and sanitary conditions worsened. In the late 1920s, the British Mandate authorities cleared out all the merchants and built permanent stalls and roofing. Afterwards the market began to be known as the Mahane Yehuda Market, after the larger neighborhood.
In the 2000s, major renovations were made to the Mahane Yehuda Market, including infrastructure work, repaving roads and covering some open areas.
Iraqi Market
In 1931 a new section was built to the west of the market by 20 traders, who previously had only temporary wooden stalls in the area. It was later named the Iraqi Market, as many traders of Iraqi Jewish descent acquired shops there. Today the Iraqi Market is located off Mahane Yehuda Street.Transportation
Several bus lines serve the market at the Agrippas end. The first line of the Jerusalem Light RailJerusalem Light Rail
The Jerusalem Light Rail is a light rail line, the first of several rapid transit lines planned by Israel for Jerusalem, Israel's capital city. Construction began in 2002 and ended in 2010, when the testing phase began. It was built by the CityPass consortium, which has a 30-year concession to...
has a station on Jaffa Road, right near the market.
Notable residents and trades
Ehud Banai
-Early life:Banai, of Persian Jewish and Afghan Jewish descent, was born in Jerusalem to the actor Yaakov Banai, the eldest of the Banai siblings, and moved to Givataim at the age of four.-Music career:...
, a family member, wrote a song entitled "One HaAgas Street", which describes the life and atmosphere at the family home.
In 1976 Rami Levi opened his first store on Hashikma Street, one of the streets in the Mahane Yehuda district, selling food products to consumers at wholesale prices. Today Rami Levi Hashikma Marketing
Rami Levi Hashikma Marketing
Rami Levi Hashikma Marketing is the third largest Israeli retail supermarket chain, behind Shufersal Ltd. and Alon Holding–Blue Square Ltd., with annual revenues of NIS 1.81 billion . Founded in 1976 on Rehov Hashikma in the Mahane Yehuda Market district, Rami Levi was Israel's first...
(TASE:RMLI) is the third largest food retailer in Israel.
In the mid-2000s, Ethiopian
Ethiopian people
Ethiopian people or Ethnic Ethiopians are an ethnic group found in the horn of African country of Ethiopia.-Origins:Ethnic Ethiopians are one of the nearly 80 ethnic groups of the horn of Africa country and are found in every regional state of Ethiopia...
food sellers began to appear in and around the market.
Long known for bargain prices on everything from vegetables to clothing, the market has upgraded its offerings in recent years. Three new designer clothing stores opened in 2007; there are also new bistro
Bistro
A bistro, sometimes spelled bistrot, is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. Home cooking with robust earthy dishes, and slow-cooked foods like cassoulet are typical...
s, gourmet delicatessans, an Italian coffee house, an imported kitchenware shop, and sellers of boutique wines and cheeses.
Terrorist attacks
Because of its high pedestrian traffic, it was a target for terrorist attacks during the Second Intifada:- 1997 Mahane Yehuda Market Bombings1997 Mahane Yehuda Market BombingsThe 1997 Mahane Yehuda Market Bombings were two consecutive suicide bombings which occurred on July 30, 1997 in the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem which is Jerusalem's main fruit and vegetable market. The site of the attack was chosen in order to cause maximum number of casualties...
: On July 30, 1997, 16 people were killed and 178 wounded in two consecutive suicide bombings.
- On November 6, 1998, two terrorists died when their bombs exploded prematurely.
- 2002 Mahane Yehuda Market bombing2002 Mahane Yehuda Market bombingThe 2002 Mahane Yehuda Market Bombing was a suicide bombings which occurred on April 12, 2002 at a bus stop located at the entrance to the Mahane Yehuda Market which is Jerusalem's main fruit and vegetable market. The site of the attack was chosen in order to cause maximum number of casualties...
: On April 12, 2002, a female suicide bomber detonated at the entrance to the market, killing 7 and injuring 104. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility.
See also
- Carmel MarketCarmel MarketThe Carmel Market is the largest bazaar market in Tel Aviv. The market is bordered by Allenby Street and Magen David Square and the market is principally located along Carmel Street , but has expanded over time to streets such as Nahalat Binyamin Street...
- Economy of IsraelEconomy of IsraelThe economy of Israel is a technologically advanced market economy, including a rapidly-developing high-tech and service sectors. As of 2010, Israel has the 24th largest economy in the world, and ranks 15th among 169 world nations on the UN's Human Development Index, which places it in the category...