KKL Pedestrian Mall
During the period of the Ottoman Empire, the street was called "20 Meters Street" since the original street was 20 meters wide, the widest street in Beersheba at the time. The original length of the street was 600 meters and its direction is northwest -southeast. At the northern end of the street, on a hill, is the Saraya house and at the southern end of the street, Abraham's Well.
In the first half of the 20th century, it was the main street of the city and served as a central axis connecting the roads leading to Gaza, Hebron and Uja al-Hafir (Nitzana). Along the street, there were many shops that served the city's residents and passers-by. In 1917, after the occupation of the city by the British, cafes, restaurants, hotels and a central bus station to Gaza and Hebron were opened on the street.
A small bakery in the middle of KKL street marks the place where the first Jewish flour mill used to function.It was founded by Yaakov Gordon and Meir Shnaiderovich who lost their jobs in Rishon LeZion and got a license from the Ottomans to build a mill in Beersheba.
Batia Gordon was the heart and soul of the Jewish community of the city. Her main concern was looking after Jewish soldiers who were recruited by the Ottomans during World War I.
Her son Moshe was the city's Jewish leader ("mukhtar").
KKL is definitely worth a visit on Fridays when it turns into a thriving colorful open market.
The KKL Pedestrian Mall is one of the first streets in modern Beersheba that was built by the Ottomans at the beginning of the 20th century. This street in the old city was turned into a pedestrian mall and it remained the city's main street until mid-90s.
