Shuk Dash

Remember the Yemin Moshe Windmill Dash and the Jerusalem, Gush Etzion and Nachalot Scavenger Hunts that I have participated in over the years? Well, Tali Kaplinsky Tarlow, the driving force behind Israel ScaVentures, once again invited me, along with an awesome group of bloggers and social media influencers, to try out the new ScaVentures Shuk Dash app (shuk is the Hebrew word for market) at the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem.

The app, which you can either download or use ScaVentures pre-loaded tablets, gives you the opportunity to explore the shuk as part of a team. Each team competes to buy and sell something, pose with a fish and find someone from Morocco, among many other missions, within a set time. The dash is not a history lesson. We didn't have a guide nor was there even that much time to stop and look around, never mind take photos (thanks to my teammates for allowing me to use some of their shots). This was a morning of competitive fun! After a brief explanation about the Shuk Dash from Tali, we were tasked with getting to know the people of the market - vendors and shoppers alike - and to hear their stories. It was a full on morning of entertainment, definitely suited to the more outgoing among us. We looked for signs, asked questions, tasted food and generally had a good time together! 

Photo credit: Israel ScaVentures

Photo credit: Ingrid Muller Photography

Photo credit: Robin Epstein, Around the Island Photography

Now, since I am a bit of a history buff, I am going to include a little bit about the market in this post. The Mahane Yehuda market is the largest market in Jerusalem with over 250 vendors selling everything from fruit and vegetables to speciality foods, and clothing to Judaica. The market is a great way to experience a traditional Middle Eastern style shuk, with its fascinating array of sounds, sights and smells.
Mahane Yehuda, which is open every day apart from Shabbat and is particularly busy on Thursdays and Friday mornings, is set between two streets, with two main aisles and then many further small walkways once inside. Just a ten minute walk from the centre of Jerusalem, the market is a fascinating place to stroll whether you are interested just in observing the magnificent sculpted displays of spices and mouthwatering array of foods, or if you want to get involved in real-market buying, negotiating and tasting. In recent years, the shuk has emerged a centre for Jerusalem nightlife, with restaurants, bars and live music. After the Shuk Dash I went with a couple of friends to eat a delicious lunch at Crave, one of the newest culinary fixtures in the market.

Photo credit: Robin Epstein, Around the Island Photography

Photo credit: Robin Epstein, Around the Island Photography

The neighbourhood of Mahane Yehuda was established in 1887 by three business partners - Johannes Frutiger (a German Protestant and owner of the largest bank in Palestine), Shalom Konstrum, and Joseph Navon. It was named after Navon's brother, Yehuda. The newly established neighbourhood of Beit Ya'akov stood nearby. At the end of the 19th century a marketplace known as Shuk Beit Ya'akov was established on an empty lot to the east of the neighbourhood. Here Arab merchants and fellaheen sold their goods to the residents who lived outside the Old City. As the new neighbourhoods outside the Old City grew, the Beit Ya'akov market grew apace with more stalls, tents and pavilions.

Under Ottoman rule, the market expanded haphazardly and sanitary conditions worsened. In the late 1920s, the British Mandate authorities cleared out all the merchants and built permanent stalls and roofing. Afterwards the market began to be known as the Mahane Yehuda market, after the larger of the two neighbourhoods.

In 1931 a new section was built to the west of the market by 20 traders who previously had only temporary wooden stalls in the area. It was later named the Iraqi Market, as many traders of Iraqi Jewish descent acquired shops there.

In the 2000s major renovations were made to the Mahane Yehuda market. A number of trendy shops and cafés began appearing among the market's retail stalls. Non-Middle Eastern restaurants currently include eateries such as "Pasta Basta," specialising in Italian pasta dishes, "Fish and Chips," one, if not the only fish and chips bar in Jerusalem, and "Ha'Agas 1," a vegetarian restaurant.

The shuk also hosts special events like the "Ba LaBasta" happening in 2011, which brought in huge crowds. Guided shopping and cooking tours are aimed at attracting culinary tourists. Also in 2011, the city-sponsored project "Tabula Rasa" (Blank Slate) saw artists being recruited from schools of art and photography in the city to decorate the walls, metal shutters, concrete surfaces and even the rubbish bins of the market.

The market's mixture of shops and restaurants, which includes both kosher and halal establishments, attract residents and tourists, Israelis from Jerusalem and other parts of the country, rich and poor, young and old, religious and secular, Jews and non-Jews, including members of the Arab community. An estimated 200,000 people visit the shuk weekly.

Before each Jewish festivals thousands of shoppers shop in the market for foods based on different holiday traditions: everything from pomegranates, dates, lulavs and etrogs, and assorted honey to fish heads.

Sadly Mahane Yehuda was a target for terrorist attacks during the Second Intifada. On 30th July 1997, 16 people were killed and 178 wounded in two consecutive suicide bombings, then in 

2002 a female suicide bomber detonated at the entrance to the market, killing 6 and injuring 104. The market was heavily guarded for years afterwards.

Back to the Shuk Dash. Israel ScaVentures have Scavenger Hunts all around the country, including Jaffa, Safed, Zikhron Ya'akov and more. The Shuk Dash, whilst definitely being more interactive than educational, was great fun and was a terrific way to see and get to know the market.

Tali runs ScaVentures throughout the year. If you want to get in touch with her and join in for yourselves, you can contact her here.

* This post has been shared on All Seasons, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Our World Tuesday, Tuesday's Treasures, Travel Tuesday, The Wednesday Link Up and My Corner of the World.