March 8: West Mediterranean Sea Coastline of Israel-

The Mediterranean Sea

Acre (Akko): Important walled port city with continuous settlement from Phoenician period. The Crusader town remains 1104-1291 with intact layout of medieval Crusader Kingdon of Jerusalem. The present town is a fortified Otoman town 18-19 Century.

Large Palestinian population from Otoman time


Pope Urban II is credited with beginning the Crusades around 1095 where at the Council of Clermont, he rallied the nobles and bishops from Italy, Burgundy, and France to take back the Holy Land.
The first crusade failed but the 2nd Crusade with knights and peasants sacked Constantinople and caught Muslems by surprise. They made it to Jerusalem and gathered outside Mountain of Happiness.  Akko was in the next wave and was captured by the Crusaders. Jews and Moslems were massacred. The Muslems regrouped under Saladan and retook Jerusalem and coastal cities except Akko.  

Al-Jazzar Mosque, which is known in Arabic as Jama El-Basha, is Israel's largest mosque outside of Jerusalem and the largest one among the mosques built in Israel during the Turkish period.

My Green Olive Guide

The Ramchal Synagogue was named after the Rabbi known as the Ramchal who lived in Acre from 1743 to 1747. In 1758, the Bedouin ruler of Acre, Dahar el-Omar, took over the synagogue – which was one of the city's most impressive buildings – and built the el-Mualek Mosque on top of it.

From the wall (we walked on top)

Dry Moat

Watch Tower

The current city of Akko

Arches unique to Crusade Time Period

Haiffa-third largest city in Israel. Due to the British mandate, accepted waves of immigrants.   Built on the slopes of Mt. Carmel. Haifa has a deeper port than Akko that can accompany larger ships.  

Home of Baha'i World Center. Behala was a prophet of universal religion separate from Islam. Known for the beautiful garden in Haifa. Haifa has a deeper port that can accompany larger ships.

Arrived in Caesarea in time for lunch on the Mediterranean

Caesarea - Herod (37-4 BCE) built  the city and named it in honor of Augustus Caesar. The harbor is manmade using technology including artificial islands as foundations for piers. It could accommodate 100s of ships.  Its inhabitants were Romans, Samaritans, and Jews. In 6 CE, Caesarea became the seat of the Roman governors. The city reached the height of its prosperity in the 4-6 centuries CE, Byzantine period. The Moslems conquered the land in 7th CE. In 1101 the Crusaders captured the town. 86 years later Saladin conqured it and destroyed its wall. The current fortifications were built in 1251 by French King Louis IX.  It was abandoned in 1265. At the end of the 19th C, the Ottoman authorities settled a group of Bosnian Moslem refugees here. 

Overlooking the excavated Caesarea

9 m deep dry moat around the medieval city fortified by King Louis IX

Near one of the gates with a 90 degree turn to slow down potential invaders.

Promontory Palace built by Herod-dates to Roman and Byzantine periods. Juts out into the sea.

Bathroom Complex

Remains of Roman amphitheatre from 2nd century CE

Hippodrome built in 2nd CE for chariot racing. Could seat 30,000

On the way back to Jerusalem, we stopped at one of the few integrated Palestinian/Jewish communities.  All land in Israel is owned by the government if not by the church.  This community belonged to the Church.  One of its monks had a vision to build such a community and the Church provided the land. The residents interview and accept all new applicants.  It includes schools from K to 12 for children in the community (and maybe outside?).  My guide lives in the community. This is his current house that he renovated while waiting for the land he is building his house to be developed.

The founder of the community built this large ball-shape meeting hall with incredible acoustics. Its entrance is all glass and faces out into natural beauty and is surrounded on the other three sides by trees.  It is a place to meditate.  "Silence is common to all languages."

Back in Jerusalem