King George Street (Jerusalem)
King George Street (Hebrew: רחוב המלך ג'ורג, Rehov HaMelekh George) is a street in central Jerusalem 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]
Jerusalem's first traffic light was installed at the intersection of King George Street and Jaffa Road. 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.[6]
King George Street is one of two Jerusalem streets with a pedestrian scramble; the other is Kikar HaShabbat.
Landmarks
- Great Synagogue and Heichal Shlomo
- Jewish Agency for Israel
- Beit Hamaalot
- Beit AVI CHAI
- The National Institutions House
- Independence Park
See also
References
Gallery
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Commemorative plaque on King George Street
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Dedication of the street in 1924
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Construction of high-rise building on King George Street, 1940
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The carillon of the shopping center at the beginning of the street
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Coordinates: 31°46.892′N 35°12.988′E / 31.781533°N 35.216467°E
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