Yāfā 

is an ancient port city located south of Tel Aviv

Jaffa's citrus industry began to flourish in the last quarter of the 19th century. Shamuti oranges were the major crop, but citrons, lemons and mandarin oranges were also grown

Until the mid-19th century, Jaffa's orange groves were mainly owned by Arabs, who employed traditional methods of farming

The pioneers of modern agriculture in Jaffa were American settlers, who brought in farm machinery in the 1850s and 1860s, followed by the Templers and the Jews

By the beginning of the twentieth century, the population of Jaffa had swelled considerably and new suburbs were built on the sand dunes along the coast. By 1909, the new Jewish suburbs north of Jaffa were reorganized as the city of Tel Aviv.

In 1917, the Ottomans banished all of Jaffa's residents as they feared the British army would occupy the city

The British did indeed occupy the city (see Sinai and Palestine Campaign), but let its residents return after a year