Joppa

Joppa, also spelled Jaffa, is the southern most and oldest part of Tel Aviv.  It was a fortified port city for over 4,000 years.  King David & his son, Soloman conquered and ruled it.  It was here that Soloman received the cedars cut in Tyre and shipped to the port of Jaffa, to be used in constructing the first temple in Jerusalem.   2 Chronicles 2:16

Joppa is also the city where Jonah hitched a ride on a boat in an attempt to flee God.  As a storm threatened the lives of the men on board, Jonah told them it was his fault for being disobedient to God, and told them to throw him to sea.  He was swallowed by a giant fish who puked him up onshore 3 days later.  Book of Jonah 
This story also appears in the Qur'an where Jonah's name is spoken with praise by Muhammad.

 
 

No one really knows where the true house of
Simon the tanner is located but everyone likes to
 tout their house as being the original.

 
 
 

In Acts 10 we read about Peter's vision on the rooftop of Simon the tanners house located in Joppa, a city by the sea.  This leads him to Cornelius the Centurion, and the realization that God wants him to share the message with Gentiles as well as Jews.