King David Hotel in Jerusalem
The King David Hotel is a luxurious Jerusalem hotel that is a part of The World’s Distinguished Hotels. The hotel was built using locally sourced pink limestone by an affluent Jewish banker. It is situated on the Street of King David in the downtown of Jerusalem, with views of the Old City as well as the prominent Mount Zion. It takes its name from the biblical ruler David.
The hotel has been chosen to entertain national leaders, politicians, and other dignitaries during their visits to Jerusalem since it is owned and managed by the Dan Hotels Group. It is well-known for being the site of the 1946 bombing that killed 91 people. The King David was the British military base in Palestine at the time.
Palestine Hotels bought 4 in 1929. 5 acres on the east side of Jerusalem are called the King David Street. The majority of the construction expenditures were financed for by Eli Mosseri, a rich Egyptian Jewish entrepreneur who owns Egypt’s National Bank.
During 1934 until 1943, the Egypt’s National Bank compensated 4% of the total purchase price of 693 shareholding.
In the early days of the hotel, the Persia’s dowager empress and the queen of Egypt, along with Jordan’s leader, King Abdullah I stayed at the King David Hotel.
In 1936, the ruler of Ethiopia was forced out by the Italians, and the King of Greece was forced to abdicate after the Nazis conquered his nation in 1942. The hotel’s southern wing was then turned into a British military headquarters during the British Mandate.
King David Hotel after bomb attack
The Zionist paramilitary unit Irgun stormed the south end of the hotel in the summer of 1946. There were 95 people killed and 45 people injured. The Irgun had previously tried to attack the establishment, but the Haganah uncovered it and alerted the British.
In the 1960s, the Dan Hotels chain bought the hotel. The hotel’s main lobby and patio were utilized in various scenes from the renowned film Exodus. After Israel annexed East Jerusalem, the establishment was enlarged to two extra levels.
Many foreign national leaders and ambassadors who visited Israel were hosted by King David. King George V of England, Jordan’s King Hussein, and US Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and even Donald Trump were among the hotel’s most prominent guests.
Jerusalem architect Benjamin Chaikin facilitated the establishment of the hotel design, which was contracted from a known architect from Switzerland.
According to one professor of the Hebrew University, Ruth Kark, European architects engaged to construct Jerusalem structures included “Eastern-style domes, arches, various sorts of different-colored stone, plus internal embellishments with religious symbols and inscriptions.”
During the hotel’s early years, there were very few Arab workers as well as Jews on the workforce. The menu was heavily influenced by Europe, while the serving crew was primarily made up of Berbers. After the hotel’s management changed in the 1960s, the kitchen restarted offering kosher food.
A trip to Jerusalem would be incomplete without afternoon tea (and pastries) in the lounge of the King David Hotel.
