The plan was ordered by Eliyahu Yosef Shamae (1881 - May 18, 1933)  who was a businessman and public figure in Jerusalem during the British Mandate, the initiator of the establishment of the commercial center in Millima and a member of the city council.

In 1927, Shma'a purchased an area of land in the Mamilla area, outside the walls of the old city, and initiated the construction of a modern commercial center that would suit the needs of the developing city and be a replacement for the crowded shops and stalls in the markets inside the old city. The commercial center was designed by the British architect and urban planner Clifford Holliday, who was a civilian advisor to the British Mandate government for the development of the city of Jerusalem and was involved at the time in planning many projects in the city. To finance the establishment of the commercial center

 The cornerstone was laid in February 1928 in a solemn ceremony. The center was opened after the events of 1929 with 250 stores, with Shamaa's plan to expand it later by 150 more stores. Many merchants from the Old City, Jews and Arabs, wholesalers and retailers, did move to the new center, and it was an important pillar in the establishment of the new Ma'ar of Jerusalem outside the walls of the Old City[3]. At the beginning of its days, the center was called "Shamaa Commercial Center", but later Shamaa's name was forgotten and the center was mainly known as "Mamila Commercial Center"