Old City of Acre

I recognize that Acre did not get a fair shake from me on my trip to Israel in November of 2019. I initially planned to visit it with a guide, in the early part of my itinerary, and give it 3-4 hours. In the end, I visited on my own, towards the end of my stay, and left for my next scheduled stop after barely two hours.

The World Heritage inscription of Acre is based on both its Crusader history and its features as an Ottoman fortified town. To get a good appreciation of the former, one needs to visit some of the paid points of interest in town. For the Ottoman features and the fortifications all you need to do is walk around the town core. When I did that, I encountered many signs of neglect, which colored my impression significantly. There are certainly picturesque corners and perspectives, but also frequent instances of dilapidation. Mosques are definitely the best-maintained building, as they would be in any other Muslim-majority town. Khans are impressive from a distance, but upon close inspection appear very much run-down. I am probably stretching it to make an excuse, but this general feeling of the town not being well cared after must have contributed to the fact that I neither took many pictures nor felt that I needed to extend my time in Acre.

I suspect a guided tour would go a long way to change that impression - when I come back, I …

WHS#54

Acre is another very unique site in the Holy Land. Just like Jerusalem and Bet Guvrin, it has no equal or comparable sites both in the region and in the world. Really, Acre is 2 cities, one above the other. The city we all see is the walled Arab city with its Ottoman architecture. Below it lies the wonder of the Crusader city, now mostly filled by tourists. Each chamber seems to have been converted into a museum exhibit, complete with colored lights shining onto the stone walls. The architecture is mostly evident in its pointed arches and groin vaults. After this, I pass through the markets and jewelry stores of Ottoman Acre to get to the Tunnels, another Crusader creation. These passages, unlike the vast hallways I had seen earlier, were used for military emergencies, and were quite cramped, with some sections where I had to bend while walking (a preview for the Pyramids of Giza?). This ended up being my favorite part of the short tour I had of the city as there were no other tourists. After surfacing again by the sea, I walked the seawalls to have a scenic view of the old harbor. By this time, the attractions of Ottoman times were already closed, so I got going. I visited in April 2018 on a long drive from Tel Aviv to the Galilee, so I only had a couple hours or so in Acre after visiting Caesarea and Haifa, but it definitely overshadowed …

Akko is a great place to visit. The ancient sites are amazing, but also there is a very old, authentic shuk. You can also walk along a beautiful beach.

The Old City of Acre really has 2 aspects to it – the external experience of the narrow mediaeval streets/souks, walls and harbour and the interior experience of the “pay to visit” sites – in particular the Crusader City. The external aspects are pleasant enough with some nice views of and from the ancient walls of the town and harbours and, in the souks, what an earlier reviewer has called a “Jerusalem Feel”. Some parts have been restored but others are very run down- particularly some of the Khans. Yet, it was amazing how many run down buildings had a big notice stating that “This property is not for sale”! I guess there are investment plans which have yet to come fully to fruition.

I will concentrate this review on the “pay to view” visit. We had an Israeli National Parks pass but none of the “attractions” in Acre are under its control. It appears that Acre’s development and tourist sites are run by a government capitalized organization called “The Old Acre Development Company”. Its Web site is here - It is interesting to read its Tourism Development strategy - this extract gives a good feel for what it is about - “To create experiential centers in the Old City's port and waterfront as bustling public expanses interconnected by pedestrian routes and a chain of events to be held throughout the year as a long-term infrastructure to achieve a constant flow of tourists and visitors.”

An understanding …

Further up the Isreli coast, just as you've passed Haifa, you reach to the old town of Acre. Or Acco, which is the locals name for the town. For me it was a rainy day in December and having reached the town by train, I hopped into a taxi in order to quickly get to the older parts of the town, located right next to the Mediterranean seaside.

They say that the weather makes half the experience and this time it was a wet one. But with the sun on your side Acre is a brilliant little town which history dates back to Canaanite times. Acre has somewhat of a 'Jerusalem feel' to itself but actually reflects the time of the Crusaders and the Arabs. Actually, it is the ruins of the 'Crusader City' that today is Acre's major attraction. When the Ottomans rebuilt Acre, they did so on top of the old Crusader City which lies 25 feet below that of today. It has now been unearthed, revealing big Gothic halls and underground tunnels. And if that isn't enough, a visit to the Mosque of El-Jazzar, the bazaars and a lunch by the seaside will easily kill more than a couple of hours. Acre is easily accessible from Tel Aviv or Haifa and definitely worth a visit.

Akko/Acre/Ptolomais has been occupied by Greeks, Romans, Persians and Egyptians, as well as the Phoenecians, the Crusaders, the Ottomans and the British.

Under the Ottomans the city achieved notoriety as a prison city; amongst its notable prisoners was Bahau'llah, founder of the Baha'i Faith. The British continued the tradition by incarcerating and executing a number of notorius Jewish 'terrorists'. The prison museum is open to visitors.

Less traumatic to visit are the Ottoman inns or khans. In these inns merchants from all over the Mediterranean area came to conduct trade.