Places of Interest - Israël

Downtown Akko:

The city, Akko as it looks today, was largely built during the Ottoman Empire and partly by Druzen in the 17th century. Many walls were placed on the site of the ruins of the crusaders' structures. One of those buildings is the "Al-Jazzar" mosque built in the late 18th century in typical Ottoman style. The citadel that towers above the city is also built on the foundations of a 13th century Crusader castle. Under the citadel and prison of Akko, archaeological excavations have uncovered part of the older city of the crusaders. It concerns a complex of halls, of which the “Knights-hall” is the largest. This complex was built and used by the Order of Hospitallers. The Knights' Hall is dominated by three thick columns that support the cross vaults. The story goes that in one of the rooms “above” Marco Polo dined one evening. The museum of “underground prisoners” is interesting for people who want to know more about the Jewish resistance fighters during the British mandate. On 4 May 1947 the citadel prison was stormed to liberate the Jewish activists. Approximately 255 prisoners escaped, most of whom were not Jewish. 27 Iridesmen were able to escape. Immediately after the escape, 9 people were killed, of whom 5 belonged to the attackers. 8 prisoners were caught again. The room where they were executed is now open to the public. In addition, a Crusader tunnel was found near the lighthouse - this would have been connected to the palace by the harbor. 

In the year of 1799, Al Jazzar let the walls and moat built that you can still admire around the old city of Akko. In the Arab part (inside the city walls) you can still find narrow streets, squares and alleys with a hammam or small restaurants and terraces. The Jews mostly live in the upper "new" Akko. Akko was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001.

Rosh HaNikra

Located directly on the northern border of Israel with Lebanon lies this complex of caves where the sea rolls in and out at his own will. The British would cut the caves further to build a railway. You can now get far into this with a cable car and see a film about its construction in a small space. There is also a small restaurant and an information center. An unique site at a unique piece of land on the edge of the country. 

The arrival of the Crusaders would be the most turbulent time in the history of Akko. First it was conquered in 1104 by King Baudouin I of Jerusalem after the first Crusade. Akko then became the most important port city of the Holy Land and the main lifeline of goods and people. In 1187 the city was conquered by the Muslim leader Saladin and in 1189 King Guy of Lusignan, king of Jerusalem, tried to recapture the city. The siege was still underway when the troops of the Third Crusade reached the country and it was eventually Richard the Lionheart who retook the city again in 1191 after again a siege of the city. The crusaders builded a lot of new buildings and fortified the city. The hospital knights built their hospital and had their headquarters there. Legend goes that even Marco Polo visited the city. The city became the last stronghold of the crusaders and only fell after a bloody siege in 1291 in the hands of the Mammeluken, who ruled also over Egypt. The unequal battle was 10:1. The city was destroyed and abandoned. In order to prevent them from being used again by the crusaders, the remaining buildings were filled up and covered with earth. Most of the remains from this time are now also underground. 

During the Ottoman period the local sheik "Al-Jazzar" decided to rebuild and strengthen the area. In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte besieged the city as part of his expedition to Egypt. He came from Egypt after the battle of Abukir and wanted to go north to be able to return to France and defeat the Ottomans. After a siege of two months, during which the Turks were helped by a squadron of the English fleet led by Sir Sidney Smith, Napoleon had to make a withdrawal. In 1917, Palestine became an English mandate. The city was then the headquarters of the British army and the citadel became the most important prison in the country. Many political prisoners, especially Jewish activists and underground fighters of the Irgun were imprisoned here. On May 17, 1948, the city was captured by the Israeli forces in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. These caught the city, overpopulated as a result of an influx of refugees / expelled from Haifa, after being shot at for days.