Jaffa
or JOPPA, a town on the sea coast of Syria, 33 miles N. W. of Jerusalem. Hence Jonah sailed for Tarshish; here Peter had his vision. Under Constantine the place, which had been destroyed by Vespasian, became a bishop's see, and as the great landing place of the Crusaders was taken and retaken by Christian and Moslem. In 1799 Napoleon stormed it and massacred his prisoners; in 1832 it was taken by Mehemet Ali, and restored to the Turks by British help. Pop. about 45,000. Jaffa was captured by the British in November, 1917. See WORLD WAR.