The Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project (JCHP) is the coordinating institution for archaeologists, researchers, and developers who share the goals of revealing, researching, preserving, and presenting Jaffa's cultural heritage. Since Jaffa is a large archaeological site embedded within a living town with a diverse cultural heritage, the coordination of the project’s efforts and resources is a monumental task requiring the constant attention of its partner institutions. The project is designed to accommodate participation by any number of interested scholars and institutions, both public and private, whether they are driven by research or cultural development.

Particular aspects of Jaffa as an archaeological site offer an opportunity to address archaeological and historical problems by means of ongoing excavations and the management of cultural heritage. Among these unique aspects are: (1) Jaffa's status as the most important port of the southern Levantine coast; (2) its nearly continuous occupation from the Middle Bronze Age until modern times; (3) substantial, yet mostly unpublished, exploration prior to the establishment of the JCHP; and (4) the central importance of preserving its remaining monuments as well as its archaeological remains. It is with such considerations in mind that in 2007 four overarching initiatives were defined for the project, with a focus on research, publication, conservation, and public outreach.

For more information, see Chapter 1 of The History and Archaeology of Jaffa 1.

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