Mahane Yehuda

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Mahane Yehuda, or Jerusalem Markets, in Hebrew: , Shuk Mahane Yehuda often referred to simply as ‘The Shuk’, is an outdoor marketplace in the very centre of modern 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 even 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. Many time buskers add their talents to the immensely colourful atmosphere of the place. The neighborhood of Mahane Yehuda was established in 1887 with 162 houses. It abutted another new neighborhood, Beit Yaakov, founded in 1885. At the end of the 19th century, a marketplace was established between the two neighborhoods on an empty lot and was known as Shuk Beit Yaakov (Beit Yaakov Market). Here Arab merchants and fellaheen 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, but was rebilt during the British Mandate in the late1920s with permanent stalls and roofing. Afterwards the market began to be known as the Mahane Yehuda Market, after the larger neighborhood. More major renovations were made in the 2000s to the Mahane Yehuda Market, including infrastructure work, repaving roads and covering some open areas.