Old city walls
Al-Jazzar Mosque. June 2018
My time in Israel was too short. I underestimated just how many things there were to see and do in such a small country. The day trip to Jaffa a couple of days before stoked me to visit another city on the Mediterranean, so with limited time I had to pick just one and go with it. The choice was easy since Israel's train system was developed and easy to use. Akko was on the sea with a train station - why not? I took the bus down to Tel Aviv once again and bought a ticket north to Akko (Acre), last station on the line north.
The last part of the ride was lovely as the rails went right by the sea along Haifa Bay. The city of Haifa begged for exploration, but I had no time. It looked like it must be a beautiful place to live. The train deposited me at a station far removed from the old part of town, so I had a long walk into the city center. As it turns out, I arrived at one of the old Hejaz railway stations (original building long gone) that connected the coast to Amman. I never expected something I associated strongly with Saudi Arabia and Jordan to present itself in Israel. [see: Hejaz Railway]. I swear that railway line followed me everywhere in that part of my life.
The modern city was unremarkable. I knew the old city was going to be amazing because it was ancient and on the sea, but the walk there was uninspiring. The old city was actually on a small peninsula jutting into the water and farther away than I expected. I finally found a street that took me to the beach and I looked down the strand to see walled old Akko in the distance with the lovely blue Mediterranean in the foreground. This was much better than Jaffa. Re-energized, I walked toward the ramparts. It had been a good decision to come after all.
The sea entrance was from a gate with a corner built into it to make it more defensible. I entered taking care to pass through when there were no cars (which amazingly still used that narrow gate with its corner). Most of the old city buildings date from the Ottoman period even though Akko holds one of those "longest continually inhabited places on earth" titles. I walked up on the walls to get an overview of the city. I was saddened that part of the old city was off limits as it was occupied by the military. I always chuckle to myself when the modern military chooses to stay behind ancient city fortifications (surprisingly common). Is it a fallback position? With a better sense of the city, I had a walkabout.
Old Akko was small, so it didn't take much time to see it. There was an old crusader castle with some tunnels open to the public, but the entry price was steep and my time was limited. It was a gloriously sunny day and the water was so blue - why would I want to be underground? The old church, which was a must-see, was locked and the mosque was off limits to non-Muslims, so parts of the trip were a bust. I was not deflated though - the whole town was gloriously old and right on the sea. The mountains of Lebanon were a stone's throw in distance, but would have required two flights and a bus ride to reach, such was the political reality. Akko may well have been one of my favorite cities in Israel.
Just a snippet of Akko's history:
Around 37 BC, the Romans conquered the Hellenized Phoenician port-city called Akko. It became a colony in southern Roman Phoenicia, called Colonia Claudia Felix Ptolemais Garmanica Stabilis. Ptolemais stayed Roman for nearly seven centuries until 636 AD, when was conquered by the Muslim Arabs.
(Wikipedia)
Akko also holds the title of the last city held by the Crusaders before their eventual ouster. I love when a city has such a long history that seven centuries "is just a part" of its history! Akko is one of those places I wished I had been on a package tour so I could have learned more about it and its unique history.
Time was short and I had to catch the train to the bus to get back to Jerusalem. Akko deserves another visit (with some exploration of Haifa, too).
Comments