Continuing North from Haifa

The next day we traveled north from Haifa to explore Akko, or Acre, as the Crusaders called the city.  Located on the Mediterranean coast, Akko is one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world.  Its history goes back 4000 years. During ancient times, it was considered the gateway to Canaan. 

Alon told us that our visit would focus on the Crusader period (1096 CE – 1291 CE). Acre was the main point of entry to the Holy Land for Crusaders on their way to Jerusalem. Members of the Hospitallers (Knights of the Order of St. John) established a presence in Acre in the early 1100s. Members of two other religious military orders, the Templars and the Teutonic Knights, also set up bases in the city. In 1192, during the Third Crusade, King Richard I Lion-Heart of England and King Phillip II of France seized control of Acre. The city remained under Crusader control until it was retaken by the Mamluks in 1291. 

The Crusader city is still being excavated, along with remains from earlier Egyptian, Phoenician, Persian, Greek, and Muslim occupants of Akko. At present, visitors can see several of the Knights Halls in the 11^thcentury Hospitaller fortress. I was especially impressed by the informative and engaging multi-media exhibits. 

We also took time to explore some of Akko’s Muslim and Christian sites and to stroll through today’s Old City (dating back to the time of Ottoman rule). 

In Akko's Old City 

The el-Jazzar Mosque is located within the walls of the Old City. Its green dome and tall minaret dominate the skyline of Akko. 

We walked along the promenade overlooking the sea and stopped into the 18^thcentury Church of St. John the Baptist, built over the ruins of an earlier Crusader church. A Japanese Franciscan monk welcomed us and took advantage of the opportunity to converse with us in English. (He admitted that his Hebrew still isn’t very good.) 

Church of St. John the Baptist by Akko's old city walls

At lunchtime, we looked out over the city walls to the Mediterranean while we enjoyed a restaurant meal of mezze, kebabs, and grilled chicken. Before we left Akko, we made an obligatory shopping stop where we watched David Miro, an Iraqi-Israeli artist, demonstrate the traditional method of making hammered copper and silver bracelets. It’s no surprise that I bought one.  

We’d already had a busy and tiring day, but we weren’t finished yet. Next on the agenda was a drive up farther up the coast to the most northwest point of Israel. Here, we marveled at the Rosh HaNikra grottos, where the turquoise waters rushed into openings in the white limestone cliffs. It was quite a spectacular sight. Before getting back on the bus to return to Haifa, we chatted with some young soldiers doing their required military service at the border with Lebanon.  

That was a lot to absorb in one day and I think we all slept from exhaustion on the bus ride back to our hotel.