Waves in Evening Light

The sun setting on the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Overlooking the ancient city of Jaffa on the distant shore - Tel Aviv, Israel - November, 2000

Jaffa is claimed to be the oldest port in the world and was founded by Japhet, the son of biblical Noah. Early Egyptian records show that it was conquered by Thutmose III in 1468 BC. Similarly, archeological excavations in in old Jaffa have uncovered the the name of Ramses II, and was then in control of the Philistines. The Dan tribe settled briefly in Jaffa shortly after the Israelite conquest of Canaan. Later, conquered by King David, cedar trees from Jaffa were used in the building of King Solomon's original Temple in Jerusalem around 950 BC. Archeological discoveries have shown remains from a Canaanite city, a Jewish city built at the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, a third century BCE wall, a statue of Aphrodite, Hasmonean ruins, and traces of Roman occupation. Following the Babylonian exile in the sixth century BC, Jaffa came under the control of the Phoenicians and then the Greeks.


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