Acre, Israel

Acre is a city of Israel, located north of the bay of Haifa.
Acre is one of the ancient port cities, dating back to the Bronze Age. Due to its strategic location allowing wide access to Palestine, it was an important port for hundreds of years.
The city is mentioned in the Bible. The  Alexander the Great conquered If in 332 BC. During the reign of Ptolemy II, the city was an important international port and gateway on the road to Israel. In 638, the city fell to the Arabs, and in 1104 to the Crusaders, while in 1187 it was conquered by Saladin. After the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and thus the fall of Jerusalem under Muslim rule in 1244, If remained one of the last cities to remain under the rule of the Crusaders.

A surprising number of unique historical monuments are located on its relatively small area.The city is a coastal city surrounded by old stone ramparts which shelters many heritage, historical and religious treasures. The old town is classified as an “ancient site” under the provisions of the 1978 law relating to antiquities by UNESCO.The local monuments of the Old Town attract tourists, and numerous marketing activities increase the tourist attractiveness of the city. There is a public beach just outside the walls of the Old Town.

Access : Coordinates: 32.927778, 35.081667 / You can get to Acre from Haifa and Nahariya by bus or train – the journey will take from ten to forty minutes, depending on the type of transport. You can also get to Acre from Tel Aviv by train,  the journey will be about two hours.

Highlights :

• The crusader city with the Crusader Citadel: a citadel was built above the palace of the crusaders in the 18th century, the part below includes seven knight’s halls, a refectory and the Grand Munir room.
• City walls and port : The massive wall that surrounds the Old City on all sides is one of the main attractions of Acre. Defensive fortifications (walls, towers, ditches with water) were built in 3 stages during 1750-1840. Currently, they are a kind of border between two parts of Acre: old and new.
• Ruins of an ancient port : Next to the current berths, there are picturesque ruins of an ancient port, which, according to scientists, is about 2,300 years old. As an important historical landmark, they are protected by UNESCO.
• The fortress of the Hospitallers (Knights’ Hall) was built by King Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade.
• Templer – Tunnel : There is an underground site known as the Templar Tunnel: in the past, this stone passage led to a strategic fortress defending the port of Acre to allow pilgrims to complete their journey to the holy land.
• Tel Akko. On Tel Akko, the earliest settlement site in Acre, the oldest layers of settlement are being excavated in a park-like area.
• Fortress of the Liberators of the Holy Sepulcher : This historical landmark built in 1750 is located in the north of Old Akko, at Weizman St 1.
• The Shrine of Baha’u’llah. The holiest place for the Baha’is , In the right hand corner of the central room there is a small room where Bahá’u’lláh’s remains are laid to rest.
• Acre Prisoners Museum. Exhibition on the subject of Jewish activists imprisoned in the prison during the mandate period. / S. Andreas Church / The former Franciscan monastery, used by the Terra Santa School.
• Great Mosque of al-Jezzar: built in 1781, tombs of Jazzar Pasha and his successor in the courtyard; Entrance fee, dress code.
• Ramchal synagogue : This synagogue used by the Ramchal (Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. /  Or Torah : A Tunisian synagogue.
• Hammam al-Basha – Turkish baths: It was Built in 1795 by Jezzar Pasha, and was used for its intended purpose until 1948, until the war for Israel’s independence began.
• Treasures in the Walls Museum: Ethnographic museum with rooms furnished according to themes (from the Arab state salon with furniture with mother-of-pearl inlays to wall-craftsmen’s workshops to a pharmacy with furnishings from the War of Independence.
• The Acre Market is a good illustration of the network of Eastern and Western cultures upon which the port city was founded and continues to thrive.
• caravanserais – khans (an inn enclosing a courtyard, used by caravans for accommodation) : Khan al-Umdan with the clock tower is currently not open to visitors.- Khan al-Faranji (Farani), built by merchants from France, is the oldest of all.
• Beaches : Akko is surrounded by excellent sandy beaches with good entry into the sea. The most famous are “Tmarim” and “Argaman”. / Migdalor lighthouse operating since 1864.
• Bahá’í gardens : .Only 2 km away from Akko Bahai Park – an attraction that can be considered the eighth wonder of the world / Okashi Museum of Art – featuring a permanent exhibition of works by Avshalom Okashi, one of Israel’s most famous painters, who spent most of his life in Ako.

Activities : photo opportunities / shopping / Sightseeing tour through the knights’ halls of the crusader fortress.

Go next : Haifa , the third largest city in Israel / Nazareth , a city in northern Israel. / Tiberias , a large resort town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel.