Neve Shaanan

Neve Shaanan is a neighbourhood in Tel Aviv. The literal translation – “an oasis of tranquility”. But it is frequently called “red-light district”. Neve Shaanan will fascinate amateur urban anthropologists – as long as they are not afraid of a little grit and chaos. This clamorous, neglected neighbourhood is home to Tel Aviv’s urban underclass. It is where foreign workers from Ghana, Liberia, China, Romania the Philippines and Thailand live side-by-side with prostitutes, drug dealers, narcotics addicts, pimps and beggars. The area known as the Old Central Bus Station is packed with shops that cater to the foreign workers, while the nearby pedestrian mall is where they come to relax and have a beer at one of the cheap outdoor pubs on Friday afternoons, when the weekend begins.