Everything about Akko Israel totally explained
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Acre ([ˈɑːkɚ] or [ˈɑːkrə];,
Akko;,
'Akka; ) also known as
Akko, is a city in the Western
Galilee area of northern
Israel. It is situated on a low promontory at the northern extremity of
Haifa Bay. According to the
Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Acre had a population 45,800 at the end of 2005. From ancient times, Acre was regarded as the key to the
Levant because of its strategic coastal location.
History
Acre is probably to be identified with the Aak of the tribute-lists of
Thutmose III (c. 1500 BC), and it's certainly the Akka of the
Amarna letters. To the
Israelites it was known as Akko, but it's mentioned only once in the Hebrew Bible, namely
Judges 1:31, as one of the places from which the Israelites didn't drive out the
Canaanite inhabitants. Theoretically it was in the territory of the tribe of
Asher, and
Josephus assigns it by name to the district of one of
Solomon's provincial governors. Throughout the period of Israelite domination, however, its political connections were always with
Phoenicia rather than with the
Philistines: thus, around 725 BC it joined
Sidon and
Tyre in a revolt against
Shalmaneser V. It had a stormy history during the three centuries preceding the
Christian era.
Greek and Roman periods
The
Greek historians name it Ake (Josephus calls it also Akre); but the name was changed to Antiochia Ptolemais shortly after
Alexander the Great's conquest, and then to Ptolemais, probably by
Ptolemy Soter, after the partition of the kingdom of
Alexander the Great.
Strabo refers to the city as once a rendezvous for the
Persians in their expeditions against
Egypt. About 165 BC
Simon Maccabaeus defeated the Syrians in many battles in
Galilee, and drove them into Ptolemais. About 153 BC
Alexander Balas, son of
Antiochus Epiphanes, contesting the Syrian crown with
Demetrius, seized the city, which opened its gates to him. Demetrius offered many bribes to the
Maccabees to obtain
Jewish support against his rival, including the revenues of Ptolemais for the benefit of the
Temple in Jerusalem, but in vain.
Jonathan Maccabaeus threw in his lot with Alexander, and in 150 BC he was received by him with great honour in Ptolemais. Some years later, however, Tryphon, an officer of the Syrians, who had grown suspicious of the Maccabees, enticed Jonathan into Ptolemais and there treacherously took him prisoner.
The city was also assaulted and captured by
Alexander Jannaeus, by
Cleopatra VII of Egypt and by
Tigranes II of Armenia. Here
Herod built a
gymnasium, and here the Jews met
Petronius, sent to set up statues of the emperor in the
Temple, and persuaded him to turn back.
St Paul spent a day in Ptolemais (Acts 21:7). A Roman
colonia was established at the city, Colonia Claudii Cæsaris.
Arab rule and the Crusades
The
Arabs captured the city in AD 638 and held it until the
Crusaders conquered Acre in 1104. The Crusaders made the town their chief port in Palestine. It was re-taken by
Saladin in 1187, besieged by
Guy of Lusignan in 1189 at the
Siege of Acre, and again captured by
Richard I of England in 1191. It then became the capital of the remnant of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1192. In 1229 it was placed under the control of the
Knights Hospitaller (whence came one of its alternative names). It was the final stronghold of the Crusader state, and fell to the
Mameluks in
a bloody siege in 1291. The
Ottomans under Sultan
Selim I captured the city in 1517, after which it fell into almost total decay.
Maundrell in 1697 found it a complete ruin, save for a khan (
caravanserai) occupied by some French merchants, a
mosque and a few poor cottages.
The Crusaders called the city "Acre" or "Saint-Jean d'Acre" since they mistakenly identified it with the
Philistine city of
Ekron, in southern
Palestine.
Ottoman rule
Towards the end of the 18th century it revived under the rule of
Dhaher al-Omar, the local sheikh: his successor,
Jezzar Pasha, governor of
Damascus, improved and fortified it, but by heavy imposts secured for himself all the benefits derived from his improvements. About 1780 Jezzar peremptorily banished the French trading colony, in spite of protests from the French government, and refused to receive a consul.
In 1799
Napoleon, in pursuance of his scheme for raising a Syrian rebellion against Turkish domination, appeared before Acre, but after a siege of two months (March–May) was repulsed by the Turks, aided by Sir
Sidney Smith and a force of British sailors. Having lost his siege cannons to Smith,
Napoleon attempted to lay siege to the walled city defended by Ottoman troops on
20 March 1799, using only his infantry and small-caliber cannons, a strategy which failed, leading to his retreat two months later on
21 May.
Jezzar was succeeded on his death by his son Suleiman, under whose milder rule the town advanced in prosperity till 1831, when
Ibrahim Pasha besieged and reduced the town and destroyed its buildings. On
4 November 1840 it was bombarded by the allied British,
Austrian and French squadrons, and in the following year restored to Turkish rule.
British Mandate
The province included the modern cities of
Sidon,
Tyre,
Nabatiye,
Nahariyya, and some other inland villages and towns such as
Umm al-Faraj,
Mazra'a, and
Dayr al-Qassi.
The
citadel of Acre was used by the British as a prison and as a location for a
gallows. Many
political prisoners, mainly Jewish underground movement activists, such as
Zeev Jabotinsky and
Shlomo Ben-Yosef, were jailed in the citadel-prison of Acre. Ben-Yosef, an
Irgun activist, was the first Jew to be executed under the
British mandate.
On
May 4,
1947, the Irgun broke into the Acre citadel-prison in order to release Jewish activists imprisoned there by the British. Some 255 inmates escaped, the majority Arab. Twenty-seven prisoners from armed Jewish groups escaped (20 from
Irgun, seven from
Lehi). In the immediate aftermath of the raid, nine were killed, and five attackers and eight escapees were captured.
Despite the heavy toll in human lives, the action was described by foreign journalists as "the greatest
jail break in history." The London
Ha'aretz correspondent wrote on
May 5:
» "The attack on Acre jail has been seen here as a serious blow to British prestige... Military circles described the attack as a strategic masterpiece."
The
New York Herald Tribune wrote that the underground had carried out "an ambitious mission, their most challenging so far, in perfect fashion."
Of the five captured attackers, three who had been carrying weapons were tried and
sentenced to death; the other two, minors who were unarmed when captured, received
life sentences.
Israeli rule
Acre fell under territory assigned by the
1947 UN Partition Plan to a future Arab State in Palestine. The plan was rejected by the Palestinian Arabs, leading to the
1948 Palestine war.
The old city of Acre has been designated by
UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and contains a tunnel leading to a 13th century fortress of the Knights Templar. Since the 1990s, there are vast works of archeological excavations and preservations of ancient structures in progress. Acre has one of the highest proportions of non-Jews of any of Israel's cities with an Arab and
Druze population of approximately 27.6%, as well as a small community of
Bahá'ís, who regard Acre as the most sacred city in their faith. The city is a magnet for tourists and the home of the country's steel industry. It also produces exports including iron, chemicals, and textiles.
Acre today
Acre's Old City has been designated a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since the 1990s, the
Old Acre Development Company has been carrying out important conservation work, and many archeological digs are under way. Among the city's many historical landmarks is an underground passageway leading to a fortress of the
Knights Templar from the 13th century.
The walls
In 1750,
Daher El-Omar, the ruler of Acre, utilized the remnants of the
Crusader walls as a foundation for his walls. They were reinforced between 1775 and 1799 by
Jezzar Pasha and survived
Napoleon's siege. The wall was thin: its height was 10 to 13 metres (33 to 43 feet) and its thickness only one metre (3 ft).
A heavy land
defense wall was built north and east to the city in 1800-1814 by
Jezzar Pasha (called by the locals
Al-Jezzar) and his Jewish advisor
Haim Farkhi. This wall is the first notable thing to come into sight when coming to Acre. It is a modern
counter artillery fortification which includes a thick
defensive wall, a dry
moat,
cannon outposts and three
Burges (large defensive
towers).
The sea wall, which remains mostly complete, is the original El-Omar's wall that was reinforced by al-Jezzar.
Jezzar Pasha Mosque
The
Mosque of Jezzar Pasha was built by
Jezzar Pasha in 1781. The mosque is
Caesarea Maritima: Jezzar Pasha and his successor Suleiman Pasha are both buried in a small graveyard adjacent to the mosque.
Hamam al-Basha
Built in 1795 by Jezzar Pasha, Acre's
hammam has a series of series of hot rooms and a hexagonal steam room with a marble fountain. It is notable mainly because it was used by the
Irgun as a bridge to break into the citadel's prison.
The Citadel
The current building which consists the citadel of Acre is an
Ottoman fortification, built on the foundation of the
Hospitallerian citadel. The citadel was part of the city's defensive formation, reinforcing the northern wall.
During the 20th century the
citadel was used mainly as a
prison and as the site for a
gallows. During the
British mandate period, activists of Jewish Zionist resistance movements were held prisoner there; some were executed there.
Today, the citadel of Acre contains the following:
- The Ottoman fortifications (including the tower and the moat).
- Acre Old City Visitor Centers.
- The "enchanted garden": a new garden that's planted according to historical description of the garden that was there during the Crusades period.
- Acre's British prison and the gallows.
- Memorial for Jewish resistance fighters executed during the British mandate.
- A Museum for the Jewish resistance prisoners, מוזיאון אסירי המחתרות .
- Prison cell of Bahá'u'lláh, Founder of the Bahá'í Faith.
- Knights' Halls (see below).
As of August 2004, the citadel is partly closed due to preservation work.
The Knights' Halls
Under the
citadel and prison of Acre,
archeological excavations revealed a complex of halls, which was built and used by the
Hospitallers Knights. This complex was a part of the Hospitallers'
citadel, which was combined in the northern
wall of Acre.
The complex includes:
Six semi-joint halls.
One large hall, recently excavated.
Dungeon.
Dining room (with a tunnel).
Posta and Crypta (remains of an ancient Gothic church).
(Those interested in medieval European remains should also visit the Church of Saint George and adjacent houses at the Genovese Square (called Kikar ha-Genovezim or Kikar Genoa in Hebrew). There were also residential quarters and marketplaces run by merchants from Pisa and Amalfi in Crusader and medieval Acre, so today there are also Pisa and Amalfi Squares in the old city.)
Bahá'í holy places
There are many Bahá'í holy places in and around Acre. They originate from Bahá'u'lláh's imprisonment in the Citadel during Ottoman Rule. The final years of Bahá'u'lláh's life were spent in the Mansion of Bahjí, just outside Acre, even though he was still formally a prisoner of the Ottoman Empire.
Bahá'u'lláh died on 29 May 1892 in Bahjí, and his shrine is the most holy place for Bahá'ís — their Qiblih, the location that Bahá'ís should face when saying their daily obligatory prayers. It contains the remains of Bahá'u'lláh and is near the spot where he died in the Mansion of Bahjí.
Other Bahá'í holy places in Acre include the House of `Abbúd (where Bahá'u'lláh and his family resided) and the House of `Abdu'lláh Páshá (where later 'Abdu'l-Bahá resided with his family), and the Garden of Ridván where Bahá'u'lláh enjoyed spending the later part of his life.
Sports
The city's major football team Hapoel Acre currently play in Liga Leumit, the second tier of Israeli football. They did play briefly in the top division during the 1970s, but have spent the majority of their history in the lower leagues.
Transportation
Acre has a central bus station which is served by Egged buses offering services within the city and extensive inter-city services to major cities and towns as Haifa, Nahariya, Karmiel, Safed, Kiryat Shmona, Sakhnin, as well as lines connecting it to nearby smaller villages. The city is also served by the Acre Railway Station.
Cultural references
The city of Acre is one of four main cities the player character, Altaïr, can visit in the video game Assassin's Creed for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Sister cities
Pisa, Italy
Bregenz, Austria
Canton, Ohio, United States
Deerfield Beach, Florida, United States (External Link
)Further Information
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