Caesarea and Akko Israel

I traveled throughout Israel and Jerusalem most every weekend during my stay.  The first weekend my colleagues and I visited the north coast of Israel from Tel Aviv to Caesarea, Haifa, Akko and Rosh Hanikra near the border with Lebanon.  The following weekend we went to the Holy Land to visit Nazareth and the sea of Galilee,  Church of the Annunciation, Cana, Capernaum, and the Mount of Beatitudes.  Next we went to Samaria to visit some ancient caves and a winery in the Judean hills.  After moving on to Jerusalem we took a day trip to Masada and also visited the nearby nature reserve at Ein Gadi and the Dead Sea.   The rest of the time was spent visiting Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Jaffa and the West Bank including the ancient site of Herodium.  I had visited the old city in Jerusalem several times before so I didn't need to visit the holy sites again.  However, I did take the opportunity to visit the Israel Museum, Holocoust Museum, the Friends of Zion museum and the Tower of David.

Caesarea is a town in north-central Israel. Located midway between Tel Aviv and Haifa on the coastal plain near the city of Hadera.   The town was built by Herod the Great about 25–13 BCE as the port city Caesarea. It served as an administrative center of Judaea Province of the Roman Empire, and later the capital of the Byzantine province during the classic period. Following the Muslim conquest in the 7th century, in which it was the last city to fall to the Arabs, the city had an Arab majority until Crusader conquest. It was abandoned after the Mamluk conquest.  It was re-populated in 1884 by Bosniak immigrants, who settled in a small fishing village.  In 1952, a Jewish town of Caesarea was established near the ruins of the old city, which were made into the national park of Caesarea.

Caesarea's amphitheater is generally well preserved.  At its fullest capacity, the amphitheater was able to seat 15,000 viewers, making it the biggest performance venue in all of Palestine. The amphitheater is still in use today with performances by Israel's biggest stars held daily during the summer months.

The city’s aqueduct was built along its sandy beaches and carried water from the feet of Mount Carmel in the north to the city center. A system of pipes and arched walls, which carried the water to the city, is still visible today

The group standing in front of the old hippodrome.  Caesarea's hippodrome is a circular structure originally built as a racetrack, and is similar in style and function to Rome's grand Circus Maximus. The walls that lined the arena have remained intact. On the left would have been the entrance to the old port on the Mediterranean sea.

North Coast of Israel near Rosh Hanikra

Michael Standing at the border between Lebanon and Israel.  Beirut is only 60 miles from the Israeli border. 

Akko was incorporated into the empire of Alexander the Great after his conquest in 332 B.C.E. The city was subsequently seized by the Egyptians until the Muslim conquest in the 7th century CE, when its ancient name was restored. Confusion over what to call the city was compounded by the Crusaders' conquest in 1104, after which it became known as St. Jean d'Acre, or Acre for short.  In 1291, the Mamluks invaded and destroyed the city, killing every remaining Crusader and putting an end to the Latin Kingdom. Acre ceased to be a major city for almost 500 years. The Ottoman Empire in the mid-18th century named the capital of Akko his capital and built a large fortress. It was subsequently fortified by the Turkish governor (1775-1804), Ahmad Pasha al-Jazzer ("The Butcher"). The mosque al-Jazzer built is one of the most beautiful in Israel and the most distinctive building in the old city.  Napoleon landed in Palestine and assaulted Akko in 1799, but he was unable to take the city. His Middle Eastern campaign subsequently collapsed and he withdrew to France.

The towering, stone-vaulted Knight's Halls of Akko, built 800 years ago by the Hospitallers (a monastic military order) and the medieval knights called Templars who once lived here. Legend has it that Marco Polo may have dined here on his way to meet Kublai Khan.  Following the conquest of Jerusalem by Salah Al-Din in 1187, the Templars made their home in Akko and began to build a strong fortress with its entrance protected by two powerful towers with 28-foot thick walls.  

The Templars aided pilgrims and the ailing coming from Europe to visit the holy sites of the Land of Israel. They first settled in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount, hence their name, "the Templars", the guardians of the Temple.

The tunnel is 1100 feet long and extends from the Templars fortress in the west to the city's port in the east. The lower part of the tunnel is carved in the natural stone and its upper part is made of hewn stones covered with a semi-barreled dome. The tunnel was discovered in 1994 and in 2007 the entire length of the tunnel was made available to the public. 

Right outside, a tunnel leads out to the Turkish Bazaar via a souvenir shop that was here long before the tunnel was opened to the public.

Courtyard of Khan al Omdan