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Tel Aviv-Yafo (Hebrew: תֵּל אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, romanized: Tēl ʾĀvīv-Yāfō, IPA: [tel aˈviv jaˈfo]; Arabic: تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, romanized: Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel.
Discover Tel Aviv, the vibrant and cosmopolitan city on the Mediterranean coast. Find out the best things to do, see and eat, and book tours and hotels for your trip.
- Overview
- Character of the city
Tel Aviv–Yafo, major city and economic centre in Israel, situated on the Mediterranean coast some 40 miles (60 km) northwest of Jerusalem. Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 as a Jewish garden suburb of the ancient Mediterranean port of Jaffa (now Yafo), with which it was joined in 1950. By the beginning of the 21st century, the modern city of Tel Aviv had developed into a major economic and cultural centre. Tel Aviv is headquarters for a number of government ministries, including the Ministry of Defense, as well as other public organizations, such as the Histadrut (General Federation of Labour). Most of the foreign embassies in Israel are also located in the city. In addition, most of Israel’s large corporations are headquartered in Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv’s rapid growth and emergence as a prominent centre was largely due to its advantageous location. Proximity to the old city of Jaffa (whose port served as the gateway to Jerusalem, farther inland) and a Jewish rural-agricultural hinterland were important in Tel Aviv’s early stages, as was its status as the first modern Jewish city in Palestine. In the mid-1930s Tel Aviv surpassed Jerusalem as the largest city in Palestine (after 1948, the State of Israel). In the mid-1970s, however, Jerusalem exceeded Tel Aviv, which continues to be the country’s second largest city. Tel Aviv forms the core of Israel’s largest metropolitan area, representing more than two-fifths of Israel’s population. Despite some decrease in its share of Israel’s population, the economic and cultural prominence of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area continue to grow. Area city, 20 square miles (52 square km); metropolitan area, 586 square miles (1,518 square km). Pop. (2008) city, 402,600; metropolitan area, 3,233,500.
Tel Aviv’s character is frequently contrasted to that of Jerusalem. Tel Aviv is depicted as the city “that never stops,” a thriving, vibrant, modern, dynamic, and multicultural city, one generally characterized as tolerant, secular, and liberal, while also materialistic and hedonistic—a city of the present, lacking deep historical roots. Jerusalem, by contrast, is seen as eternal and holy, conservative, and an arena for major conflicts within Israeli society, including that between Israelis and Palestinians. It has been said by some that “while Jerusalem prays, Tel Aviv plays.”
In the past Tel Aviv was negatively portrayed as a city that lacked character and was unpleasantly humid, ugly, and prematurely aging, with decaying buildings covered in peeling stucco and small business blocks of stained concrete. However, these representations lost much ground during the last quarter of the 20th century, partly the result of substantial beautification efforts—the most significant of which included a new orientation toward the beach, an area that had decayed for decades. Whereas past perceptions marked Tel Aviv as the stronghold of the non-pioneering segment of Israeli society, later views have come to acknowledge Tel Aviv’s importance as the engine of the Israeli economy, and its rich cultural and entertainment amenities have been increasingly appreciated. Emerging civic pride has been based on the quality of life offered in the city and its metropolitan area.
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- Eran Razin
- Visit the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel’s largest art museum, is home to an impressive collection of permanent and temporary exhibits.
- Stroll Down Dizengoff Street. Dizengoff Street is one of Tel Aviv’s central streets. This street is always lively, with restaurants, shops, and other businesses that are almost always full.
- People Watch at Habima Square. Habima Square is a beautiful, central square located in the heart of Tel Aviv next to the city’s main streets, Dizengoff Street and Rothschild Boulevard.
- See the Bauhaus Architecture. Tel Aviv is often called “the white city.” This is because of the large number of Bauhaus-style buildings that were built in the city in the 1930s.
1 day ago · Learn about the ancient and modern history of Tel Aviv–Yafo, a coastal city in Israel with a rich cultural and political heritage. Explore its origins as a Jewish suburb of Jaffa, its role in the British mandate, and its development as a modern metropolis.
- Eran Razin
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Discover the best things to do in Tel Aviv, from beaches and museums to nightlife and markets. Explore the city's history, culture, cuisine and entertainment with this guide.
Discover Tel Aviv's attractions, from museums and parks to beaches and markets. Find out what to do, where to stay and how to get around in this vibrant city on the Mediterranean coast.
