Akko (Acre) and Rosh HaNikra: Surrounded by History and Awed by Nature
There are few cities in which a visitor can say that they are truly surrounded by history, because people tend to rebuild, renew, and redo much of the remnants that previous people have left behind. Most of the cities I have visited, or will visit, have been rebuilt dozens of times over the past few thousand years. In fact, the word “tel” in Hebrew means “mound”, so cities like Tel Aviv translate to the mound of Aviv city. It almost implies that the city was and probably will be destroyed and rebuilt… as always. It reminds me of the Hindu belief in the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. Cities, it would seem, live through cycles as well.
Akko has defied part of this cycle, at least for the past 800 years. The Lonely Planet warns, “Don’t make Akko the first place you visit in Israel. After visiting this wonderfully preserved city of stone all the historic settlements scattered across Israel will appear rather ho-hum”. (LP, p. 215)
Flat Kat and I at Akko
Akko: A Close Encounter of the Historical Kind
Known as Acre to Europeans during medieval times, the unique aspect of Akko is that the remnants of the “old” city that existed during the Middle Ages are still intact. The walls built by Crusaders from Europe still stand and were expanded during the end of the 1700s, contributing to a rare defeat for Napoleon as he tried to expand his empire into the Middle East. As I walked through the medieval streets, I was literally surrounded by living history. Enveloped by fortifications that withstood dozens of invasions, medieval and modern, it was hard not to appreciate the living museum that is Acre. Even those of you who don’t like history much (you blasphemers!) would enjoy a walk through this old city.
Akko was an important city in the because of its geography. One look at an aerial picture shows why it would have been an imposing city to attack. In ancient times, it was very difficult to attack a city that was surrounded on three sides by water and one side by land. Cities like Constantinople (now known as Istanbul) and Akko were built specifically because of this military advantage. Any attacking military would need to have both a superior navy and a superior army in order to take the city. If they only had a superior army, the city only had to defend one side and could get food and other supplies from the sea. If they only had a superior navy, defending the 3 sides of the city by sea was very easy, and they could get supplies by land.
An aerial view of the city
With such enviable geography, the city became a priority for Crusading armies looking for a foothold in the Holy Land. As such, it was one of the first cities to be conquered in a brutal siege and one of the last cities to be defeated for good during medieval times. Great warriors such as Richard the Lionheart and Salah ad-Din (Saladin) battled to control the city. Though the walls that can be seen today were rebuilt and improved most recently in the 19th century, it is easy to see why previous generations of warriors coveted Akko as such an important prize. Having taken a whole course on the Crusades in college which came alive before my eyes, it was a great prize for me too.
As I explored Akko, I found some other interesting buildings. One was an Inn that merchants from all over the world would stay in as they transported their goods from the Middle East to Europe, or visa versa. Merchants such as Marco Polo most likely stayed in the city and dined in great halls (like the one pictured below) that had been built during the period when Europeans controlled the city.
Akko lost importance for a while, but revived (I guess it hasn’t completely avoided the cycle of rebirth). Under the control of an Albanian mercenary known as “the Butcher”, “and not for his skill with meat cutlets” (LP, p. 216), Akko became important enough for Napoleon to attack. Due to its fortifications and location, the city withstood everything Napoleon could throw at it.
Today, the city is primarily Palestinian, meaning that they speak Arab and are mostly Muslim. Only a few miles from the border with Lebanon, the city had no noticeable damage from the brief (33 day) war in the summer of 2006. I’m not sure if it had any rockets fall on it (I forgot to ask), so if someone could find out and comment, I’d appreciate it.
Rosh HaNikra: A natural water park and adrenaline rush
After I’d had my fill of Akko and history (it is actually possible for even me to have enough history for a day), I headed north to a spot on the Israeli-Lebanon border called Rosh HaNikra. Known for its grottos, which I learned are natural underwater/ underground caves, I was less than excited. I like natural wonders, but I prefer the human wonders. The Grand Canyon, for example, struck me as “just another big ditch” carved by thousands of years of water. 
I guess I just prefer understanding human interaction.
Even with that attitude going in, though, I was blown away. Luckily for me, the power of nature was in full force. As the waves came crashing through the openings of the caves, I was awed once again by the power of nature. The sound, the sight, the power… it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. The closest thing to it was the thrill of skydiving or overwhelming feeling of being swept away by a wave while body surfing.
View from inside the grotto
After going through the caves once, I had to go through again. At that point, I was delighted to see a father standing with his sons as they squealed with delight as the waves came toward them and crashed harmlessly on the rocks just 10 feet from them. On a really big wave, you could feel the spray of the sea as the water crashed on the rock just a few feet below. It was a reminder that all humans are the same at the core: we all have family, we all have a desire to experience something new, and we all have an innate awe at the power of nature. When I do my presentation of Israel, I’ll show a few videos that will hopefully bring it to life a bit more.
It’s a good thing to keep in mind whenever we hear news stories about other countries: the people there are just like us – most of them simply want to life a happy and fulfilling life. Even though the extremists and bad news dominates, most people are just trying to make a life with their families.
There’s no better reminder of that than visiting a country and meeting its people.
What a great statement to end with! You are so right! We need to remember how we are all alike rather than focusing on how we are different!
The grottoes look beautiful but for me- no caves, please.
Akko looks like a small city. Is it?
Ms. Roberg
My Reply
The old city of Akko is a pretty small city by today’s standards, but most cities were smaller than today’s cities back then. In the Middle Ages, a city with more than 20,000 people would have been considered large. In fact, the towns of Coxsackie and Athens would have been considered somewhat large back then too!
The new city of Akko has expanded beyond the old city walls and has now become much larger, though I’m not sure exactly how many people there are. Do you think someone in class could find out?