King George Street (Jerusalem)

King George and Jaffa Street pedestrian scramble, 2007
Froumine House, early 1950s

King George Street (Hebrew: רחוב המלך ג׳ורג׳‎‎, Rehov ha-Melekh Jorj, Arabic: شارع الملك جورج‎‎ Shara'a al-Malik Jurj) is a street in central Jerusalem, Israel which joins Ben Yehuda Street and Jaffa Road to form the Downtown Triangle central business district.[1] The street was named in honor of King George V on December 9, 1924.[2]

History

King George Street was dedicated in honor of the seventh anniversary of the British conquest of Jerusalem under General Allenby. The inauguration took place in 1924,[3] in the presence of Sir Herbert Samuel, the High Commissioner for Palestine, Sir Ronald Storrs, the military governor of Jerusalem,[4] and Raghib al-Nashashibi, the Arab mayor of Jerusalem.[5]

King George Street today

Jerusalem's first traffic light was installed at the intersection of King George Street and Jaffa Road.[6] In 1950–1966, the Knesset, Israel's parliament, met at Beit Froumine on King George Street. It was used by Israel's first five governments, until the Knesset moved to a permanent building in Givat Ram.[7]

King George Street is one of two Jerusalem streets with a pedestrian scramble; the other is Kikar HaShabbat.

Landmarks

See also

References

  1. ↑ Neighborhoods in brief
  2. ↑ About King George Street
  3. ↑ A Walk Across Jerusalem History, Haaretz
  4. ↑ Sir Ronald Storrs and Zion: The Dream That Turned into a Nightmare
  5. ↑ King George Street in Jerusalem
  6. ↑ Haman's Hat: Life in the Jerusalem Triangle
  7. ↑ Beit Froumine

Coordinates: 31°46.892′N 35°12.988′E / 31.781533°N 35.216467°E / 31.781533; 35.216467

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