Joppe 1

JOPPE

The twilight town. 1.

Yp (phoen.) Ypy (genitive)

Yapo (hebr.)

Ypw (Egypt.)

Yapo (ass.)

Ioppe (greek, lat)

Jaffa (arab)

Yafo (nowadays)

If the story is true, Jaffa is one of the oldest cities in the world because it was founded by Japhet, son of Noah, who arrived there forty years after the Flood. Jafo is the Jewish word for “the beautiful”.  It stands on a panoramic promontory south of the centre of Tel Aviv, surrounded by Crusader fortifications.

Some topographical facts:

The coastal road from Egypt to the north runs via Gaza and Ashdod to Joppe; after that the road turns in north-eastern direction along the Yarkon river to Afek and then to the north along the edge of the hills. Joppe has a strong strategic position, because it is the only sheltered harbour in this region. It forms the caesura between the northern and southern plains along the coast. Nowadays it is a part of Tel Aviv.

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