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AKKO - ACCO- ACRE: A BRIEF LOOK

 The city of Acre designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most dramatic and captivating of Israel's towns. It boasts a colorful port, architecturally marvelous mosques, exquisite small khans, as well as archeological digs, with excavations that range from the Canaanite period to the Ottoman Empire.  It is a city replete with history, in which one can walk through labyrinth lanes, and on fortified walls, offering a spectacular view of Haifa, the Galilee and the Old City of Acre.

 While most cities develop in an outward fashion, Acre, which sits on a peninsula, developed in strata, with layers of diverse cultures peering through the ancient walls of a subterranean complex. The Crusader and the Ottoman eras are the two primary periods to leave their mark on the city.  The underground Crusader city, dug up in the 1950s, comprised autonomous quarters, representative of European mercantile cities, most notably the four Italian maritime republics—Pisa, Genoa, Amalfi & Venice--and various ecclesiastical orders, such as the Templars and the Hospitallers.

 Present-Day Acre

Acre is a multi-cultural city. Its population of 52,000 comprises Jews and Arabs—Christian and Moslem; religious and secular; veteran Israelis and newcomers—from the FSU, Ethiopia and France.

 The city's prime industry is tourism, complemented by foods, metal, chemical, a few high tech companies and light industry. It nationally touted Fringe Festival, now into its 29^th year, draws tens of thousands annually. Acre also boasts a well-known Jewish-Arab Theatre, whose performances are staged worldwide; a world-class fencing champions, and a thriving music conservatory.

A new International Conservation Center has been established in the Old City's Pisan Quarter. It serves as a live architectural/archeological laboratory, for both Israeli and international students, academics and practitioners in the field. Acre's Western Galilee College is in the process of getting accreditation to grant B.Sc. degrees in conservation architecture, the only such program in Israel.

 Historic Acre

Acre (or San Giovanni di Acri) is the Crusader name given to the city, known by the Jews as Akko and called Akka by the Arabs. First conquered by Anacherib, King of Assyria, in 701 BCE, it is one of the world's oldest inhabited cities.

 The city's strategic importance--in its heyday, only Alexandria and Constantinople exceeded its volume of commerce--made Acre an object of conquest throughout history. Consequently, it is a city marked by strong Arab, Turkish, British and Christian influences. Long regarded as the key to Palestine, the city was the capital of the Crusader Kingdom (1191-1291). As of the middle of the 18^th century, Acre was the most important town in Palestine, both economically and politically. During that period it also became famous due to Napoleon's inability to conquer it.

 Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Marco Polo St. Francis of Assisi are just some of the lofty personages who spent time in this ancient port city; as did Maimonides, Ramban & the great mystic, Rabbi Moses Chaim Luzzatto from Padua (Ramchal).

 A new religion, the Bahai faith, saw its beginnings in the city, while its Iranian founder Baha'ullah, was a political prisoner of the Ottoman Empire Acre prison.