Tel Aviv was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003, due to the large concentration of Bauhaus and International Style buildings in the city that's considered by many as Israel cultural capital
This concentration is referred to as the White City (or, in Hebrew, Ha’ir Halevana) due to the white color of the buildings, which were painted that color in order to reflect the light and heat of the Mediterranean sun.
It is estimated that around 4000 buildings were constructed in Tel Aviv in these styles as of the 1930s, and attempts are now made to preserve these buildings.
A good option for sightseeing in Tel Aviv and Examples of the easily identified Bauhaus style - some characteristics include white walls, large boat-like balconies, an emphasis on functionality, and windows lining the stairwells - are the Engel House, planned in 1933 by Ze’ev Richter, on 84 Rothschild Boulevard.
Another sightseeing option is Beit Hadar, planned in 1934 by Karl Rubin, at the corner of Derech Menachem Begin and Harakevet streets.
For more information about the Bauhaus style or to book a Bauhaus-themed tour of the city, go to the Bauhaus Center on 99 Dizengoff Street.
The center offers both tour guides and a self-guided audio tour.
Another architectural gem worth seeing in Tel Aviv is the entire Neve Tsedek neighborhood in the southern part of the city. Built in the 1880s by Jewish families who left the crowded living quarters in then-overpopulated Jaffa, the neighborhood is the oldest part of modern Tel Aviv.
The area is characterized with low buildings that feature Arabesque elements, and many of the structures are preserved.
Highlights of this sightseeing will include Beit Chelouche (the Chelouche House), which is currently being preserved on 32 Chelouche Street, and was the home of Aaron Chelouche, one of the founders of Neve Tsedek.
The Nahum Gutman Museum at 21 Rokach Street is devoted to the art of former Neve Tsedek resident Nachum Gutman, and is located in a historic Neve Tsedek home constructed in the 1880s.
Across the street from the Gutman Museum is the Rokach House (36 Rokach Street), the former home of another one of Neve Tsedek’s founders – Shimon Rokach.