Mahane Yehuda Market (Shuk Mahane Yehuda), often referred to as “The Shuk“, is a marketplace (originally open-air, but now partially covered) in West 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.
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.
Mahane Yehuda market is bounded by Jaffa Road to the north, Agrippas Street to the south, Beit Yaakov Street to the west, and Kiach Street to the east. The market itself has two major streets: Eitz Chaim Street (the covered market) and Mahane Yehuda Street (the open-air market). Bisecting these two streets are smaller streets that all used to be named for fruits and nuts: Afarsek (Peach) Street, Agas (Pear) Street, Egoz (Walnut) Street, Shaked (Almond) Street, Shezif (Plum) Street, Tapuach (Apple) Street, and Tut (Berry) Stree, until the municipality changed the name of Agas St. to Yaakov Eliyahu Banai St.
The municipality has invested millions in modernizing the center of West Jerusalem and creating many pedestrian malls in order to elevate commerce, tourism, and culture. The mayor said, “We realized if we wanted to increase our market share of tourism and the time people spend in Jerusalem, nightlife is key”. In recent years, as part of this strategy, many bars and restaurants have opened in the alleyways of the Mahane Yehuda market to draw young and sophisticated customers. Free Wi-Fi internet access is now available to customers in some of the market’s shops. A self-guided tour of the market called “Shuk Bites” includes a map with a pre-planned route through the market and “punch-card” vouchers that allow visitors to sample a variety of foods and drinks. Guided shopping and cooking tours are aimed at attracting a “new breed of culinary tourists.”
