Archaeologists preparing Jaffa Port for a significant construction project uncovered an Ottoman-era sea wall and building that served as a customs hall.

Tel Aviv's municipality originally planned to turn the old port into an entertainment and cultural center, but is now reconsidering the construction plans. Preservationists are hoping the 500 meters of wall will be enclosed in glass or otherwise displayed and not be covered over by the new construction. They say UNESCO considered declaring Jaffa a World Heritage Site in the past, but did not because it lacked archaeological remains.

The ancient port, mentioned in the book of Jonah, was destroyed by Napoleon's army in 1799 and rebuilt by the Ottoman Empire. The sea wall was visible until the 1930s, when the British renovated the port, covering it and destroying the customs hall.