Nachlaot is one of Jerusalem’s most historic, semi-mysterious, and charming neighborhoods. It is a cluster of 23 courtyard neighborhoods hiding amidst the hustle of the center of the city and characterized by its narrow stone lanes, quaint and colorful doors, intricate gates, and rich history displayed in its architecture (or lack thereof).
Until the 1870s, during the Ottoman rule, most Jews lived in the Old City of Jerusalem – a 0.9-square-kilometer (0.35 sq mi) walled area in East Jerusalem, until Nachlaot was built by desperate Jews looking to escape its increasingly crowded, noisy, and unsanitary conditions.
Still, many were frightened to move outside the Old City walls since thievery was rampant and wild beasts roaming the hills made it dangerous. Yet despite their apprehension, many moved forward with courage to inhabit Jerusalem and expand its walls beyond the Old City (the sixth neighborhood to be built outside the Old City).
The meaning of Nachlaot is the plural of the Hebrew word ׳Nachla׳, which means inheritance. It is a conglomerate of thirty-two small neighborhoods, each built by a different Diaspora community, each with...
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