Jaffa old saray, Ottoman administrative building in Jaffa, Israel

The Jaffa Old Saray is an Ottoman administrative building made of stone with high ceilings, evenly spaced windows, and detailed stonework across its exterior. The interior is divided into rooms arranged according to the formal layouts typical of government buildings from that period.

Built in 1724 on the remains of a Crusader fortress, the building first served as a khan. In 1811 the Ottoman governor of Jaffa, Mahmoud Aga al-Shami, set up the city's government offices there, and it also housed a post office and a prison. Government offices moved out in 1897 when the new Saray opened by the Clock Square.

The building shows how Ottoman and local building styles came together through its stonework and interior spaces. Walking through it reveals how different communities shaped the architecture of this port city.

The building stands on Mifratz Shlomo Street in Old Jaffa, not on Yefet Street. The Museum of Jaffa Antiquities collection is still kept inside and can be seen by prior arrangement. The Arab-Hebrew Theatre of Jaffa has operated in another part of the building since 1998.

A colony of bats lives in one of the building's halls and can be seen through barred openings. The building also holds the Jaffa Antiquities Museum collection, including door lintels from the Egyptian gate of Jaffa bearing the name of Ramesses II, kept on site and viewable by prior arrangement.