Mahane Yehuda Market often referred to as "The Shuk" is a marketplace (originally open-air, but now partially covered) in Jerusalem.
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; and housewares, textiles, and Judaica.
We first visited this market at the end of 2022, during our week-long trip to Israel. Our Air BNB stay was located some 700 meters from this market on Be'er Sheva street - so we discovered this place quite randomly by just browsing Google Maps.
In and around the market are falafel, shawarma, kibbeh, kebab, shashlik, kanafeh, baklava, halva, zalabiya and Jerusalem mixed grill stands, juice bars, cafes, and 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 filled with shoppers stocking up for Shabbat, until the Friday afternoon sounding of the bugle that signifies the market will close for the Sabbath. In recent years, the 'shuk' has emerged as another Jerusalemic nightlife center, with restaurants, bars and live music.
In 1887 the neighborhood of Mahane Yehuda was established on the north side of Jaffa Road. It was founded by three business partners—Johannes Frutiger (a German Protestant and owner of the largest bank in Palestine), Shalom Konstrum, and Joseph Navon—and was named after Navon's brother, Yehuda. On the south side of the street to the west stood another neighborhood, Beit Ya'akov, founded in 1885.
At the end of the 19th century, a marketplace was established on an empty lot to the east of Beit Ya'akov and across the road from Mahane Yehuda which was owned by the Sephardi Valero family; this market 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.