[6] Located northwest of Jaffa Gate, the mall consists of a 2,000-foot (610 m) pedestrian promenade called Alrov Mamilla Avenue lined by 140 stores, restaurants, and cafes,[2] and office space on upper floors.

[11] In the Mamilla mall there are a number of leading brands in the world, such as Tommy Hilfiger, Dior, Padani, The North Face, Adidas, Nike, Pierre Cardin, Diesel, Swarovski, Rolex, Foot Locker, Mango, Zara, Stradivarius, Tous , Marccain, Columbia, H.stern, TopShop and many others.

[13] Both Arab and Jewish businessmen operated high-end shops for furniture, textiles, housewares, art, photography, and automobile showrooms.

[14][15][16] In response to the announcement of the United Nations Partition Plan, Arab mobs stormed Mamilla Street on December 2, 1947, ransacking and setting fire to 40 Jewish-owned stores.

[17] In the 1950s, poor Sephardic immigrant families and tradesmen took up occupancy in the derelict buildings, and workshops and auto-repair garages replaced the former stores.

[16][17][11] In 1970 the Jerusalem municipality proposed to overhaul the slum-like area and replace it with a mixed-use development of luxury housing, hotels, and shops.

[11] The two submitted a "grandiose" scheme that called for the construction of a subterranean traffic system, over-ground buildings, a pedestrian promenade, parking for 1,000 cars, and a bus terminal.

[1] Nevertheless, in the 1970s, the city spent NIS 130 million[16] to move over 700 families[19] out of Mamilla to the Neve Yaakov, Pisgat Ze'ev, Katamon, and Baka neighborhoods.

[1][14] But construction of the mall was delayed again and again due to bureaucratic disputes, litigation, arbitration, and political intervention by Israeli government ministers as Akirov and the government-owned development firm, Karta, went head-to-head on building rights, responsibilities, and compensation.

[16] In the 1990s Akirov changed the approved plan for covered arcades on the pedestrian promenade to open-air arches, adding 2,000 square metres (22,000 sq ft) of retail space; he also pushed for an entertainment complex with nine cinemas to be installed next to the Convent of St. Vincent de Paul, an idea that the city had vetoed years earlier.

[16][20] In August 2006 the Jerusalem District Court upheld three earlier arbitration rulings and ordered Karta to pay Akirov NIS 100 million for project delays.

[9] With an eye to the historical and archaeological importance of the area, Safdie opted to blend the mall into its surroundings rather than introduce a contemporary design.

[18] Safdie writes: Like urban centers elsewhere, Mamilla encompasses a mix of uses, but even the commercial structures facing the pedestrian street never present their backs to the city.

[28] Its 140 stores appeal to all economic strata, from high-end international chains Tommy Hilfiger and Abercrombie & Fitch; to Israeli designer boutiques such as Castro, Dorin Frankfurt, and Ronen Chen; to mid-range restaurants and a "supermarket-style" pharmacy.

[19][36] During the summer and Jewish holidays, the mall hosts free concerts, street performances, folk dancing, and family activities.