Katamon mixes the old with the new, with beautiful Arab buildings from the early 20th century alongside smaller single-family homes built after 1948.
By JOHN BENZAQUENThe neighborhood is officially called Gonen, but it is better known as Katamon.(photo credit: Courtesy)
Katamon is one of those Jerusalem neighborhoods that has retained its rural air.Built on land owned by the Greek Orthodox Church, which was and probably still is Jerusalem’s largest landowner, the name “Katamon” is Greek and means “under the monastery.” The particular monastery in question is San (saint in Greek) Simeon, built over the tomb of Simeon, the devout Jerusalemite who, according to the Gospel of Luke, met Joseph and Mary in the Temple when they brought the infant Jesus.The neighborhood was founded at the beginning of the 20th century; an aerial photo taken by German aviators during World War I shows a small cluster of large houses around the monastery. At first, plots of building land were sold only to wealthy Orthodox Christians from the Old City, who wanted to leave the crowded and unhealthy living conditions of the walled space. Later, they were all sold to wealthy Muslim families, who bought land and built houses.Perhaps in reaction to their previous cramped conditions, they built what for those times and for Palestine were palatial residences – spacious, single-family homes on large plots of land, with verdant gardens and wide thoroughfares.During the British Mandate period of the 1920s and ’30s, Katamon was the favored place of residence of British Army officers and high officials in the administration. It was during this time that the neighborhood was dubbed “the flower garden of Jerusalem.”Today, Katamon has a romantic, sentimental aura.In accordance with the Israeli trend, it mixes the old with the new, with beautiful Arab buildings from the early 20th century alongside smaller single-family homes built after 1948 and luxury apartment buildings.The picturesque mesh of cultures, combined with the winding narrow streets outside the main streets, and the beautiful landscape, make Katamon very special.Officially called Gonen, or “protector” in Hebrew, it is so named because Jewish fighters in the War of Independence defended the southern neighborhoods of Jerusalem from there. But most Jerusalemites still know the area by its original name, and it is doubtful many would be able to identify Gonen.Like all neighborhoods in the capital, the street names in Katamon follow a common theme that testifies to the neighborhood’s rich history. The streets are named after important people and places related to the creation of the State of Israel, such as “Hapalmah,” for the elite fighting force of the Hagana; and “Kaf-Tet B’November,” for the historic UN resolution of November 29, 1947, on the partition of Palestine.Katamon fell within Israeli lines of demarcation after 1948, because in the ’30s and ’40s it was an Arab enclave in an area that up to 1948 was becoming progressively Westernized and Jewish – sandwiched by two neighborhoods inhabited mainly by Jews, the Greek and German Colonies. Consequently, Katamon was the only Arab neighborhood in a line of Jewish neighborhoods.Katamon is located southwest of Talbiyeh and the German and Greek colonies; these neighborhoods were also built on land that in the past belonged to the Greek Orthodox Church. Streetwise, it is bound on the south side by Rahel Imenu Street and Hizkiyahu Hamelech Street, which separates it from the Greek Colony; on the east side it is bound by Kovshei Katamon Street, which separates it from Talbiyeh. These streets connect to Emek Refaim Street and Hapalmah Street, respectively.Katamon is the diplomatic home of several foreign consulates, including the Greek, Italian and Costa Rican consulates. Historically, it was the home of one of the city’s major soccer clubs, Hapoel, and its stadium was located there. The stadium was purchased by developers and is now the site of the upscale Ganei Katamon development.The Katamon of today is an upscale neighborhood – not to be confused with the less-moneyed Katamonim.This division occurred after the War of Independence, when the area was on the Israeli-Jordanian cease-fire line – on the frontier, as it were – and this did not make it very popular.As a result, the government extended the neighborhood west by building large numbers of basic apartment buildings for the immigrants who flooded the country in the ’50s. They were built in a huge area now collectively known as the Katamonim, and to distinguish them Hebrew letters were added to the word Katamon.There are nine such Katamonim, from Katamon Alef to Tet. With time, some of these received additional names – as Katamon Hei officially became San Simon, Katamon Het became known as San Martin and Katamon Zayin became Pat.In contrast to Katamon, the Katamonim are characterized by long, three- or four-story apartment blocks providing low-cost housing. Some of the buildings are still government-owned, although Amidar, the government-owned company that rents low-cost housing to the poor, sold many of the apartments to residents in the 1970s.Currently, demand is brisk and originates from three primary sources: young Jerusalemite families; Katamonim residents who want to upgrade their living standards; and overseas buyers, Anglos with a sprinkling of French, who are attracted by the area’s old-world charm.Prices vary greatly. The most expensive are British Mandate-style houses. After the War of Independence these elegant homes were subdivided into apartments for new immigrants, and they became something of a slum.Now, as original residents are either dying or moving out, some are being restored to their former glory as single-family homes; the same holds true for the old Arab houses.The least expensive are a few apartment blocks built in the ’50s and ’60s; such apartments, which are not more than 50 square meters, can sell for less than NIS 1.2 million. In contrast, an apartment in a restored British Mandate or Arab mansion can sell for millions.There is another important development in Katamon, through the Tama 38 program that allows developers to build one or two additional floors, provided they strengthen and restore the building. As such, Katamon is getting both a face-lift and additional apartments, in an area where housing supply has always been a problem.
