Tel Aviv Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Tel Aviv

The second largest metropolis in Israel, Tel Aviv started off as a humble settlement on the outskirts of the ancient city of Jaffa in the then part of Ottoman Syria. On 11 April 1909, 66 Jewish families gathered on a desolate sand dune to parcel out land via lottery organized by the Ahuzat Bayit building society.

The lottery used 120 seashells collected on the beach, in which the society members' names were written on the white shells and the plot numbers on the grey shells. A boy drew names from one box of shells and a girl drew plot numbers from the other. As such, this lottery marked the outset of Tel Aviv.

Initially, the settlement was named after the building society that had initiated it – 'Ahuzat Bayit' which means "the Homestead", but a year later it was renamed 'Tel Aviv' after Theodor Herzl's 1902 novel, "Old New Land", the Hebrew edition of which was titled "Tel Aviv". The name means "Hill of Spring" which symbolizes Jew's hope for a vibrant city emerging from the historical soil of the region.

In 1917 the Ottomans expelled the residents of Jaffa and Tel Aviv, predominantly the Jews, and it wasn't until the end of World War I that they returned to their homes after the British took over Palestine. Tel Aviv was declared a city in 1934 prompted by its growing population risen dramatically after the Nazis came to power in Germany.

Tel Aviv made history in 1948 when the country's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, proclaimed here the independence of Israel. Designed to become a clean, modern city right from the outset, Tel Aviv was largely inspired by the European cities of Warsaw and Odessa.

Fueled by the immigration of refugees, mostly Jewish, who were drawn to Tel Aviv by its comforts, such as electricity, water, cleanliness, fairly good schools, busy social and nightlife with lots of eateries and entertainment, the population of Tel Aviv soon outpaced that of Jaffa and in 1950, two years after the Declaration of Independence, Tel Aviv and Jaffa were merged into one.

Today, the official capital of Israel is a very popular tourist destination renowned for its liberal way of life. To see it firsthand, take this self-guided tour and explore this marvel of a city risen from the sand at your own pace.