The small Yemin Moshe neighbourhood can be identified immediately by its Montefiore windmill , actually one of the first structures to be built outside the secure confines of the Old City.
The neighbourhood was part of a scheme developed by English Jewish philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore, who visited the Holy Land seven times in the mid-19th century. Hoping to aid the Jews living in Jerusalem, and seeking to ease overcrowding within the city walls, Montefiore built a block of 24 apartments, a development known as Mishkenot Sha’ananim (Tranquil Dwellings). The windmill was built in 1857 to provide the basis for a flour industry. The scheme failed and the Montefiore windmill is now an eccentric landmark serving as a museum dedicated to Montefiore.
