Founded in the late 19th century as a German Templar farming colony. It’s residents built many underground tunnels, some of which are still accessible today, to transport and store their crops. They lived in peace with the local settlers of the time until the first World War, when conflicts started bubbling up between the people of Sarona and the rest of the local population.
In 1918 the colony became home to a British air force base, in 1933 it was home to a branch of the Nazi party, after WWII it became a British detention camp and many of its inhabitants were exiled to Australia. In the late 1940s, the camp was repeatedly attacked by the Palmach (a militant Jewish group who were trying to reclaim the land from the British), culminating in an attack in the form of a postal service car bomb that killed five people.
About the source
Atlas Obscura aims 'to inspire wonder and curiosity about the incredible world we all share'. You can contribute to their collection on their website.


White City of Tel-Aviv – the Modern Movement
Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 and developed as a metropolitan city under the British Mandate in Palestine. The White City was constructed from the early 1930s until the 1950s, based on the urban plan by Sir Patrick Geddes, reflecting modern organic plann…