Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-12-31
The Holy
Land
The Ancient
Port of J0ffd.
By Frederic j. Haskin.


when it received the cedar and pine sent
; by Hiram OF Tyre for the building of the
great temple in Jerusalem. Jaffa is the
Joppa of the Scriptures, and it is one OF
! TIE oldest historical cities in the world.
/ 1t is described as a. sea port of Importance
/ IN existing abIets dating back 10 centu-
ries before Christ 1t is the reputed scene
of he legend of Andromeda. and in
/ Pliny's time tourists were shown the
, chains by which Andromeda was bound
to the rock for the cruel monster after
I wards slain by Perseus. Perhaps this
/ Greek legend was the development of the
/ yarns of Ionic iailer men who had had
adventures in landing a cargo at this sea-
J port Of Canaan For there was never a
seaport which offered so few advantages
/ and so many difficulties for mariners.
Nearly all visitors to the Holy Land
disembark at Jaffa. and the experience
/ is usually the most exciting and memora-
| BILE of the whole journey to Palestine
| I here is no harbor and the ships anchor
| In an open roaGstead. Passengers are ia
ken off IN rOwboats manned by crews OF
maSniflcently p~oportioned Arab boatmen
who pilot their small craft through the
channels between the rocks upon which
| the breakers lash themselves into foam
I In the best of weather the landing is suf-
! ficiently difficult TO contain the element
1 OF danger, and If there IS the least wind
/ Decentralization is impossible In such
event the passengers are carried on
| northward 10 Ealfa at the foot of Mount
Carmel. AS it is only ii mornings rail-
| road journey from Jaffa TO Jerusalem,
and it is a three days wagon journey
| from Haifa to Jerusalem, most people pre-
J fer to risk the dangers of the Jaffa land
/ Ing.
! Jaffa is associated in tradition and his
tory with many of the greatest men the
world has known, but Il was not visited.
so far as Is recorded. by Jesus 1t was a
| chief city of the Canaanitish regimes
which preceded the Hebrew empire of
| David and Solomon. 1t was an important
seaport used by Alexander the Great. it
| was tie scene of st. Peters vision which
caused him to include the Gentiles within
! his mission, it was the port of entry Of
the successful Crusaders during the mid
! die ages, il was the base of operations of
Saladin when he expelled the Christians
| from Jerusalem, it was an important fac
| tor i'm the military operations OF the Nam
| elukes, and 1t was the scene of the most
disgraceful act in the career of Napoleon
| the Great
| But Now Jaffa has turned from war
| to peace, and it is famous all over Eu-
rope as the place from which comes the
! most delicious oranges in all the world.
I Not even California and Florida, having
the advantage of teh most skilled horti-
cultural scientists, can dispute with Jaffa
the primacy OF the orange growing world
| Everything about the ancient city smells
of oranges Jaffa has population of
about 10000 -two-thirds Mohammedan.
There is a considerable German colony in
| the city. and other German colonies are
scattered about in the neighborhood
These Germans grow the greater part of
the oranges The we'll kept orange
groves. surrounded by hedges of prickly
pears, suggest southern California and
scenes altogether out of place amid these
! Oriental surroundings
|
Orange culture is comparatively
| modern industry in Palestine, and was
unknown in Bible times. But it is i'm
possible to loon upon the groves with
| their thousands of golden globes outlined
against the silvery green of the trees
without recalling the words Apples of
gold ia pictures of silver" These Jaffa
oranges are very large, very sweet, very
juicy and altogether delicious. And
| furthermore, to the delight of the tour
list, they are ridiculously cheap.
| The city of Jaffa was completely de-
! stroyed during the wars of the Crusades,
so that in the middle ages at one time
! Ii consisted of nothing but a few tents
which sheltered a miserable tribe of fish,
I ermen. That fact does not interfere in
/ the least however with the present fact
that every visitor to Jaffa is shown tie
very house of Simon the Tanner upon
the roof of which st. Peter saw the Wis
| ion of the clean and the unclean beasts
which was the beginning of his preaching
| to the Gentiles. One is shown also the
house where Dorcas was restored to life
by the prayers of the Apostle Peter.
There is no reasonable excuse for any
ones believing in the authenticity of
! these houses, although the antiquarians
agree that the site of the house by the
sea in which lived Simon the Tanner,
probably is the same as that of the mod
ern house which the tourist now sees as
the first sacred relic in Palestine.
More interesting than these spurious
| relics of the past are the three Smodern'
converts. Greek, Latin and Armenian.
and the modern schools. The Armenian
convent is the one where the plague suf-
! ferers and other invalids were poisoned
/ pv order of Napoleon. These three con-
vents show evidences of prosperity and
modern advancement not seen elsewhere
| in the country. There is an EngllSh ro-
! testant school for girls, and an English
| hospital which have accomplished won
ders in the emancipation of Oriental
| girls from the bondage of Ignorance and
the chains Of Oriental customs.
The Jaffa women are famous for their
laces and embroidery work, and the tour
lists are usually levied upon for the main
I tenance of this industry. The hotel at
Jaha. Is conducted on q semi-religious
Aplan which serves at once to introduce
Abe visitor to the sacred atmosphere OF
. Me Holy Land and to recall his half
r IArgotten Biblical history. The rooms in
Ae hotel. instead of being numbered. are
r designated by the names of the II tribes
Of israel and other Biblical names. The
I prAduct of the soil of which the Jana
. pebble. especially the Germans. are most
; preAd is certain red wine known as
'iSa1s Rot" When one hears the Maitre
d. lAel ordering bottle of jana Rot
] sentA Mannasseh and a caraffe OF water
. to Ihchar. one is tempted to believe
that Nine has turned backward to the
days \ the patriarchs.
But aAer all Jaffa is interesting main
lly in itAcapacity as the seaport OF Je-
lrusalem. None takes the train at the Jaf-
ia station early in the morning for the
- ,,,o,1nfafn 70 Jerusalem, The