Akko

In Biblical times, Akko, north of Haifa, was the major port in what is now the land of Israel. The Hebrews did not consider it to be part of ancient Israel.

Akko is one of the world's oldest known seaports and is thought by archeologists to be at least 4000 years old. In its heyday, only Alexandria and Constantinople exceeded its volume of commerce. It overshadowed the great city of Tyre, several miles to the north.

Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar laid the first stones here in the world's first paved road, from Akko to Antioch. This was known as the Via Maris, or way of the sea. The Romans conquered Akko in 48 B.C. and it enjoyed 500 years of peace under Roman rule.

Akko was a Crusader capital in the Middle Ages. The Crusaders conquered it in 1104 and were there for 200 years. Although it was surrendered without a battle in 1187 to Saladin, a Muslim conquerer, the Crusaders besieged it for two years in an attempt to win it back. Richard the Lion-Hearted's arrival with an army resulted in victory. This seige and conquest has been described as "one of the most fascinating dramas in the history of war."

Underneath the modern-day city of Akko is an underground Crusader city. The buildings were filled with rubble by the Muslim conquerers, who built a new city on top. The old Crusader structures are now being excavated, but archeologists must be very careful or the roof might collapse due to the weight of the city on top. We even found a secret tunnel designed for escape and went through it.

Napoleon besieged Akko in 1799 but was unsuccessful. He later claimed that had he conquered it "the world would have been mine."

Go on to read about Rosh Hanikra
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