In 2023, the city had a population of 267,196,[1] thus being thefourth-largest city in Israel. Its population density is approximately 6,277 inhabitants per square kilometre (16,260/sq mi). Its jurisdiction covers 35,868dunams (~35.9 km2 or 15 sq mi). Petah Tikva is part of theGush Dan metropolitan area.
Tel Mulabbis, anarchaeological mound in modern Petah Tikva, is an important archaeological site from theYarkon River basin, with habitation remains from the Roman, Byzantine, Early Islamic, Crusader, Mamluk and Late Ottoman periods.[3] The place was inhabited sporadically, and was the site of anEgyptian Arab village of the same name, inhabited by the Abu Hamed al-Masri clan.[4]
Originally intending to establish a new settlement in theAchor Valley, nearJericho, the settlers purchased land in that area. However,Ottoman SultanAbdul Hamid II cancelled the purchase and forbade them from settling there, but they retained the name Petah Tikva as a symbol of their aspirations.
In 1878, the founders of Petah Tikva learned of the availability of land northeast ofJaffa near the village of Mulabes (or Umlabes). The land was owned by twoChristian businessmen from Jaffa, Antoine Bishara Tayan and Selim Qassar, and was worked by some thirty tenant farmers. Tayan's property was the larger, some 8,500 dunams, but much of it was in the malarial swamp of theYarkon Valley. Qassar's property, approximately 3,500 dunams, lay a few kilometers to the south of the Yarkon, away from the swampland. It was Qassar's that was purchased on July 30, 1878. Tayan's holdings were purchased when a second group of settlers, known as the Yarkonim, arrived in Petah Tikva the following year.[7] Abdul Hamid II allowed the purchase because of the poor quality of the land.[8]
In amicrohistorical anecdote of Petah Tikva, Yehuda Raab, one of the Hungarian settlers, recalls in his memoirs meeting aBaghdadi Jew, Daud abu Yusuf, who despite appearing as aBedouin, announced "ana Israʾili," (lit.'I am Jewish'), and recited theshema by way of proof. Yusuf, along with aMoroccan Jew from Jaffa, Yaʿqub bin Maymun Zirmati, was hired as a guard for colony; it was customary for European Jewish colonies to hire local Arab guards or in some casesYemenite Jews. Both were Ottoman imperial subjects and were important cultural and linguistic go-betweens, for example in the horse and camel trade, from the world of theAshkenazi Jewish immigrants and that of the Eastern orMaghrebi Jews, today calledMizrahi Jews.[9]
Amalaria epidemic broke out in 1880, forcing the abandonment of the settlements on both holdings by 1881[10] or 1882.[11][12] Those who remained in the area moved south toYehud. After Petah Tikva was reoccupied by Chovovei Tzion immigrants in 1883, some of the original families returned. With funding for swamp drainage provided by Baron Edmond de Rothschild, the colony became more stable.[13]
In March 1886, Arab peasants fromYahudiya attacked the Jewish colony, injuring 5, with one dying later, possibly due to aggravation of her preexisting condition. This was called the first violent clash in theYishuv byMoshe Smilansky.[14]
Upon learning that the Austrian post office in Jaffa wanted to open a branch in Petah Tikva, Yitzchak Goldenhirsch, an early resident, offered his assistance on condition that the Austrian consulate issued a Hebrew stamp and a special postmark for Petah Tikva. The stamp was designed by an unknown artist featuring a plow, green fields and a blossoming orange tree. The price was 14paras (a Turkish coin) and displayed the name 'Petah Tikva' in Hebrew letters.[15]
David Ben Gurion lived in Petah Tikva for a few months on his arrival inMutasarrifate of Jerusalem in 1906. It had a population of around 1000, half of them farmers. He found occasional work in the orange groves.[16] But, he soon caught malaria and his doctor recommended he return to Europe.[17] The following year, after moving to Jaffa, he set up a Jewish workers organisation in Petah Tikva.[18]
During theSinai and Palestine campaign ofWorld War I, Petah Tikva served as a refugee town for residents of Tel Aviv and Jaffa, following their exile by the Ottoman authorities. The town suffered heavily as it lay between the Ottoman and British fronts during the war.[citation needed]
Petah Tikva peace treaty, 1927Aerial view of Petah Tikva, late 1930s
In the early 1920s, industry began to develop in the Petah Tikva region. In 1921, Petah Tikva was grantedlocal council status by the British authorities. In May 1921, Petah Tikva was the target of an Arab attack, which left four of its Jewish inhabitants dead–an extension of the1921 Jaffa riots.[19] In 1927, Petah Tikva concluded a local peace treaty with the Arabs living nearby; subsequently, Petah Tikva was untouched by the1929 Palestine riots.
By the time the1931 census was taken, the population had increased to 6,880 inhabitants in 1,688 houses.[22] In 1937, it was recognized as a city. Its first mayor, Shlomo Stampfer, was the son of one of its founders,Yehoshua Stampfer.
Petah Tikva, a center of citrus farming, was considered by both the British government and the Jaffa Electric Company as a potentially important consumer of electricity for irrigation. The Auja Concession, which was granted to the Jaffa Electric Company on 1921, specifically referred to the relatively large Jewish settlement of Petah-Tikva. But, it was only in late 1929 that the company submitted an irrigation scheme for Petah-Tikva, and it was yet to be approved by the government in 1930.[23]
In 1931, Ben Gurion wrote that Petah Tikva had 5000 inhabitants and employed 3000 Arab labourers.[24]
In the 1930s, the pioneering founders ofKvutzat Yavne from theReligious Zionist movement immigrated to the British Mandate, settling near Petah Tikva on land purchased by a Jewish-owned German company. Refining the agricultural skills they learned in Germany, these pioneers began in 1941 to build their kibbutz in its intended location in the south of Israel, operating from Petah Tikva as a base.[25]
After the1948 Arab–Israeli War, Petah Tikva annexed all of the lands of the newlydepopulatedPalestinian Arab village ofFajja.[26] The city has suffered a series of terror attacks as a result of theongoing regional conflict, including thebombing of a vegetable market in 1977, and three attacks during theSecond Intifada: On May 27, 2002, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a small cafe outside a shopping mall, leaving two dead, including a baby;[27] on December 25, 2003, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a bus stop near the Geha bridge, killing 4 civilians,[28][29][30] and on February 5, 2006, a Palestinian got into a shuttle taxi, pulled out a knife, and began stabbing passengers killing two of them, but a worker from a nearby factory hit him with a log, subduing him.[31]
Residential high-rises in Petah Tikva
After theindependence of Israel on 14 May 1948, several adjoining villages–Amishav andEin Ganim to the east (named after the biblical village (Joshua 15:34)), Kiryat Matalon to the west, towardsBnei Brak, Kfar Ganim and Mahaneh Yehuda to the south andKfar Avraham on the north–were merged into the municipal boundaries of Petah Tikva, boosting its population to 22,000.
As of 2018, with a population of over 240,000 inhabitants, Petah Tikva is the third most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area. Petah Tikva is divided into 33 neighborhoods for municipal purposes.[32]
Some 70,000 Orthodox Jews live in Petah Tikva. The community of Petah Tikva is served by 300 synagogues,[35] including the 120-year-oldGreat Synagogue,[36] eightmikvaot (ritual baths)[37] and two majorHarediyeshivot,Lomzhe Yeshiva andOr-Yisrael (founded by theChazon Ish, Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz).Yeshivat Hesder Petah Tikva, a Modern OrthodoxHesder Yeshiva affiliated with theReligious Zionist movement, directed by RabbiYuval Cherlow, is also located in Petah Tikva. Additionally, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD in Philosophy and Kabbalah (seeBnei Baruch), daily leads 200-300 students and hundreds of thousands virtually (some estimates of up to 2 million) in the method of Kabbalah learned from his teacher RavBaruch Ashlag, known as the Rabash (stylized inall caps).
Six hospitals are located in the city. TheRabin Medical Center complex includes the Beilinson Medical Center, the Davidoff Oncologic Center, the Geha Psychiatric Hospital, theSchneider Pediatric Hospital and Tel Aviv University's Faculty of Medical Research.[38] Other medical facilities in Petah Tikva are HaSharon Hospital, the Beit Rivka Geriatric Center, the Kupat Holim Medical Research Center and a private hospital, Ramat Marpeh, affiliated with Assuta Hospital.
Petah Tikva is home to 300 educational institutions from kindergarten through high school, catering to the secular, religious andHaredi populations. There are over 43,000 students enrolled in these schools, which are staffed by some 2,400 teachers.Petah Tikva has seventeen public libraries, the main one located in the city hall building.[39]
Petah Tikva's history of government goes back to 1880, when the pioneers elected a council of seven members to run the new colony. From 1880 to 1921, members of the council were David Meir Guttman, Yehoshua Stampfer, Ze'ev Wolf Branda, Abraham Ze'ev Lipkis, Yitzhak Goldenhirsch, Chaim Cohen-Rice, Moshe Gissin, Shlomo Zalman Gissin andAkiva Librecht. This governing body was declared a local council in 1921, and Petah Tikva became a city in 1937.Kadima, the political party founded by former Israeli prime ministerAriel Sharon, had its headquarters in Petah Tikva.[41]
Petah Tikva is the second-largest industrial sector in Israel after the northern city ofHaifa. The industry is divided into three zones—Kiryat Aryeh (named afterArie Shenkar, founder and first president of theManufacturers Association of Israel and a pioneer in the Israeli textile industry),Kiryat Matalon (named afterMoshe Yitzhak Matalon), andSegula, and includes textiles, metalwork, carpentry, plastics, processed foods, tires and other rubber products, and soap.[44]
Numeroushigh-tech companies and start-ups have moved into the industrial zones of Petah Tikva, which now house the Israeli headquarters for theOracle Corporation,IBM,Intel,Alcatel-Lucent,ECI Telecom,Gilat Satellite Networks,Gilat Telecom,Migdal,IDI andGSK plc company. The largestdata center in Israel, operated by theTripleC company, is also located in Petah Tikva.[45] Furthermore, theTeva Pharmaceuticals company, the world's largest generic drug manufacturer, is headquartered in Petah Tikva. One of Israel's leading food processing corporations,Osem opened in Petah Tikva in 1976 and has since been joined by the company's administrative offices, distribution center and sauce factory.Strauss Group is also based in Petach Tikva.[46]
Over time, the extensive citrus groves that once ringed Petah Tikva have disappeared as real-estate developers acquired the land for construction projects. Many new neighborhoods are going up in and around Petah Tikva. A quarry for building stone is located east of Petah Tikva.[47]As well as generalhi-tech firms, Petah Tikva has developed a position as a base for many communications firms. As such, the headquarters of theBezeq company is located in the Kiryat Matalon industrial zone as are those of the012 Smile Telecom. The headquarters ofTadiran Telecom are in the Ramat Siv industrial zone.Arutz Sheva, the right wingReligious Zionist Israeli media network, operates an internet radio studio in Petah Tikva, where Arutz Sheva internet TV is located as well as the printing press for itsB'Sheva newspaper.[48] The Israeli secret service,Shin Bet, has an interrogation facility in Petah Tikva.[49]
Petah Tikva's Independence Park includes a zoo at its northeastern edge, the Museum of Man and Nature, a memorial to the victims of the1921 Jaffa riots, an archaeological display,Yad Labanim soldiers' memorial, a local history museum, a Holocaust museum and thePetah Tikva Museum of Art.[50][51]
In November–December 2006 and May 2007, a salvage excavation was conducted atTel Mulabbis, east of Moshe Sneh Street in Petah Tikva on behalf of theIsrael Antiquities Authority. Four main strata (I–IV) were identified, dating to the Byzantine period (fourth–seventh centuries CE; Stratum IV), Early Islamic period (eighth–tenth centuries CE; Stratum III), Crusader period (twelfth–thirteenth centuries CE; Stratum II) and Ottoman period (Stratum I).[53]
Petah Tikva is served by a large number of buses. A large number of intercityEgged buses stop there, and the city has a network of local buses operated by theKavim company. TheDan Bus Company operates lines toRamat Gan,Bnei Brak andTel Aviv. Petah Tikva's largest bus terminal is thePetah Tikva central bus station (Tahana Merkazit), while other major stations are located nearRabin Medical Center and Beit Rivka.
Israel Railways maintains two suburban railroad stations inSegula andKiryat Aryeh, in the northern part of the city. A central train station near the main bus station is envisioned as part of Israel Railways's long-term expansion plan.
There are eight taxi fleets based in Petah Tikva, and the city is bordered by three of the major vehicle arteries in Israel: Geha Highway (Highway 4) on the west, the Trans-Samaria Highway (Highway 5) on the north, and the Trans-Israel Highway (Highway 6) on the east.
Santiago Calatrava's bridge, a 50 metres (160 ft) long span Y-shaped cable-stayed pedestrianthree-way bridge connecting Rabin Hospital to a shopping mall, a residential development and a public park. The structure is supported from a 29-metre (95 ft) high inclined steel pylon, which is situated where the three spans intersect. Light in construction, the bridge is built principally of steel with a glass-paved deck.[54]
TheRed Line of the Greater Tel Avivrapid transit/light rail system connects Petah Tikva toBnei Brak,Ramat Gan,Tel Aviv andBat Yam. TheRed Line of theTel Aviv Light Rail system is split into 2 branches upon entrance to Petah Tikva. One branch travels to an underground terminal at the Kiryat Aryeh railway station, while the other continues east to the Petach Tikva Central Bus Station. The Light Rail's train depot is also located at Kiryat Aryeh. It was opened to service on August 18, 2023.[55]
Petah Tikva is referenced in theTony Award–winning 2016 musicalThe Band's Visit as the main plot derives from a mix-up between the city and the fictional town of "Bet Hatikva" in theNegev desert of southern Israel.[60]
^Marom (2019, p. 134): "The following article summarizes our current knowledge of the history of Tell Mulabbis (in modern Petah Tikva). As a key archaeological site in the Yarkon River basin, it was inhabited during the Roman, Byzantine, Early Islamic, Crusader, Mamluk and Late Ottoman periods."
^Marom (2019, p. 139): "Both Jewish and Arab sources ascertain that Mulabbis was settled again by the Abu Hamed al-Masri clan, of Egyptian origins at some point before the middle of the 19th century."
^זאב וולף ברנדה ז"ל [Ze'ev Wolf Branda memorial] (in Hebrew). Rishonim.org.il. Archived fromthe original on April 8, 2016. RetrievedSeptember 16, 2011.
^Yaari, Avraham (1958).The Goodly Heritage: Memoirs Describing the Life of the Jewish Community of Eretz Yisrael From the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Centuries. (Translated and abridged by Israel Schen; edited by Isaac Halevy-Levin). Jerusalem: Youth and Hechalutz Dept. of the Zionist Organization. p. 93.
^הנהגת הישוב, השלטון המקומי והעומדים בראשם [Community Leadership, local government and their leaders] (in Hebrew). Petah Tikva Summit.Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. RetrievedSeptember 16, 2011.
Assis, Royee (2012-12-24)."Petah Tiqwa, Mahane Yehuda" (124). Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel.Archived from the original on 2020-07-15. Retrieved2019-08-31.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
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