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 The Nachalat Binyamin Market

If you just want to give yourself a nice gift or you'd like to present one to those in Israel who are hosting your stay or even send one back to family and friends at home, then this market is where you will want to spend your time. Here you will find prices to be very affordable, with the mix to be so varied as to say that you will find an object of beauty here that will satisfy the needs and desires of anyone.

Each Friday and Tuesday, market vendors show their wares on small tables up and down the paved section of Nachalat Binyamin Street. Here you will see pieces of jewelry and lampshades, decorative Hamsas and blessing for the home, specially-made toys and ceramics that have been hand painted and objects which focus on Judiaca in a mixed variety. There is certainly a large selection of these items on display here.  
The Nachalat Binyamin street, which runs in parallel to the HaKarmel Market, has been fully restored and is frequented by not only tourists, but native Israelis as well. Each type of visitor move up and down the street, weaving within and without the varied stalls, or sitting about at the quaint outdoor style cafes, all just wishing to take in the beautiful ambience that permeates from everywhere.
The Nachalat Binyamin market vendors offer crafts that they themselves have created from their own hands and because of this, as a visitor takes in the varied craft items, they can talk with the artists who made the pieces.
A great place to visit is the pedestrian walkway in Nachalat Binyamin street, whether on Fridays or any other day of the week. There are cafes to eat at, textile stores to shop within, and great restaurants to frequent.
Where to Eat
Agadir:
If you like fast food, the place offers great beer and burgers even at midnight.
Karmela BaNachalah
Located at one of the oldest buildings in Tel Aviv, Karmela Banachlah is a beautiful chef restaurant. You can find the restaurant down the street, just two minutes away from HaKarmel market.
46 Hatavor, opens 12:23:00. Phone: 5161417
How to Arrive
Arrival at the market is simple, just by catching the No 4,1,2 bus going by way of Allenby Street. In addition to the many craft stalls, there are numerous other artists, such as musicians and actors from the nearby theaters, as well as those who can tell your fortune, and street performers who act all through the market. Because of this, you have the opportunity to not only shop around for gifts and similar items, but you can just wander about taking in the performing arts showcases, particularly on Fridays during the afternoon.

A little about the History
The Nachalat Benyamin, as one of the oldest neighborhoods in Tel Aviv, started as an association of forty members, mostly made up of upper class citizens.
As of 1987 Nachalat Binyamin Street, home to several textile shops, has been sponsoring the Art & Craft Fair. All of the artists who participate each year by bringing their wares for exhibition and sale have a stall all their own, and these stalls are associated with the street numbers. Artists have to be welcomed into the Fair by a committee, who are responsible for approving both the artists themselves but also their products that will be presented and sold to the public. Numerous criteria have to be met in order for an artists and their wares to be welcomed into the Fair. First, it must be an original piece of art by the artist. Not only must it be original, but it must be handmade by the artist as well, although this second criteria has been altered slightly in the last year, as they have begun to accept artists of the Bauhaus, who welcome replicated works based upon original material. If the product is created under the watchful eye of the artist, as opposed to being machined by an assembly line at a factory, then they are allowed into the Fair.
The third criterion to be met by the artists is that the artist himself or herself must be at the Fair directly, rather than being represented by a third party individual.

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