Up the Coast to Haifa

It was a quiet Saturday morning when we set out for Haifa.  The distance from Tel Aviv to Haifa is only about 50 miles but we planned to make a stop along the way in Caesarea before we reached our destination.   

Like an experienced educator, Alon used our time on the bus to prep us for our upcoming visits to historical sites by giving us an overview of the long and complicated chronology of the Holy Land. Since I’m a history fanatic (it was my undergraduate major), I was enthralled to hear about the Canaanites, the Israelites, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks (Hellenistic rule arrived with Alexander the Great), Hasmonean rule (an Israelite family), the Romans, who were followed by the Byzantines, then the Muslims, who ruled the Holy Land from 638 CE until the arrival of the Crusaders in 1099. Two hundred years later, the Mamluks (former slaves based in Egypt) took control. The Holy Land became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1516 and remained Ottoman territory until after World War I, when the British Mandate was established.  The independent state of Israel finally came into existence in 1948. 

Whew, that’s a lot to remember. Fortunately, Alon gave us handy bookmarks that presented this daunting amount of information in a clear graphic format. I used it for reference throughout the trip. 

Bookmark courtesy of our fabulous guide, Alon Ne'eman

Thanks to Alon’s preview, when we reached the Caesarea National Park about an hour later, I knew we’d be seeing the remains of a coastal city that is associated with King Herod the Great, the ruler appointed by the Romans to govern the small kingdom of Judea in the first century BCE. Herod himself was from a family of local Arab pagans who had converted to Judaism.  He is known for his extensive building projects throughout Palestine.  

Beginning around 25 BCE, Herod created a new city that he dedicated to Emperor Augustus Caesar, hence its name, Caesarea. The magnificent city included a huge two-part port, roads, temples, hippodrome, numerous public buildings, an amphitheater, and more. When the Romans formally annexed Judea to their empire, Caesarea became the capital of the province. Christians may recall that during the time of Jesus, the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate resided in Caesarea. 

So what did we see?  First of all, we climbed into the stands of the 6000-seat amphitheater, which is still in use today. We walked long the shoreline and looked out at what remains of the impressive deep water port.  Beside the port, as we listened to the crashing surf, we could see the recently excavated remains of Herod’s seaside palace. In addition to these notable structures, several pillars and pieces of statuary remain in place.   

This is what remains of Herod's seaside palace.

The park is very popular with Israeli families. Since it was the weekend and the weather was sunny and warm, we mingled with large crowds of local visitors as we toured the site, ate a picnic lunch, and browsed in the shops.  

At the nearby beach, we could see part of the aqueduct built by Herod in the 1^stcentury BCE. Although we weren’t dressed for swimming, I couldn’t resist walking in the sand to the water’s edge and dipping my hand into the delightfully warm foam. 

Afterwards, we continued on our drive to Haifa, Israel’s third largest city and an important port for nearly 3000 years.  It’s known as a place where people of several different faiths have coexisted peacefully for a long time.  In fact, Haifa’s landmark is the Baha’i Temple, and Haifa is the worldwide center of the Baha’i religion, which counts 6 million members today. 

Our first stop in Haifa was at the entrance to the Baha’i Temple’s terraced gardens.  From the top of the tall hill, we looked out over the dome of the temple to the sprawl of the city and the harbor below. Only members of the faith are allowed to enter the Temple, but we had an opportunity to speak briefly with a young man, a native of Cameroon, who was happy to answer our questions.

Alon had explained to us that the 19^thcentury, when the Baha’i faith developed from Islam, was a time of increasing industrialization and urbanization. Along with these trends came a growing sense of alienation, which left many people feeling the need to reconnect spiritually. It was in this context that the new Baha’i faith was established in Iran and subsequently spread to other countries.  

While there was still daylight, Alon led us on a walk through the colorful Wadi Nisnas neighborhood. It was easy to see why it’s sometimes called a “museum without walls.” Originally populated by Arabs, Wadi Nisnas now has a mixed population of Israeli Jews and Arabs (Muslim and Christian). Most of the signs were in Arabic as well as Hebrew. Alon pointed out a well-known falafel place and told us that the ubiquitous Middle Eastern delicacy originated in the Coptic Christian community in Egypt, as a Lenten dish.  

Scenes from Wadi Nisnas

Falafel shop in Wadi Nisnas 

We were pleased to see that our temporary home in Haifa, the Bay Club Hotel, was situated within walking distance of Wadi Nisnas and the German Colony, where many of Haifa’s restaurants are located. The building, which dates back to 1912, retained its elegant Art Deco décor, and offered a nightly happy hour, although not on the scale of what we had enjoyed in Tel Aviv. So when it was time for dinner, I joined a couple of OAT travel companions and headed back downhill to Wadi Nisnas and the German Colony.  

Bay Club Hotel in Haifa 

With all the colored lights and holiday decorations, both neighborhoods looked magical in the dark. On restaurant-lined Allenby Street in the German Colony, I had some excellent Israeli ice cream as a first course. Then, on the way back to the hotel, I grabbed a shawarma-stuffed pita sandwich “to go” in Wadi Nisnas.  

Wadi Nisnas after dark

Haifa's German Colony is a lovely place after dark. 

Then it was time to get a good night’s sleep so we would be ready to continue our explorations along the coast the next day.