History BACK

Akko was for long a Canaanite city, just east of the present Old City. It was conquered by several pharaohs but the Israelite invaders from the tribe of Asher failed to dislodge the inhabitants and it remained a Phoenician city (Judges 1:3).
It fell to Sennacherib, the Assyrian, and after the Persian conquest it was used as a naval base in the campaigns against the Egyptians.

It was during Ptolemaic rule that its name was changed to Ptolemais, by which it was known right up until the Arab conquest. With the Roman conquest of Palestine it became a port, being used as a base by Vespasian in his Galilee campaigns.

Christians lived in Akko soon after the crucifixion and St. Paul landed here on returning from Tyre (Acts 21:7). About 2,000 Jews were butchered in the city at the outbreak of the war against the Romans, but they returned after the conflict and have lived here almost continuously ever since.

Akko fell to the Persians, the Byzantines and eventually the Moslems in 636.

When Baldwin I, assisted by the Genoese fleet, captured Akko in 1104, it became the headquarters of the Knights of St. Jean and was revived as an important commercial centre. They lost it to Saladin but Richard the Lion-Heart joined in its capture in 1191 when, known as St. Jean d'Acre, it became the capital of the Crusader kingdom.

Exactly 100 years later the Mamelukes seized it amid a bloody slaughter of the Christian and Jewish populations. Not until the period of Ottoman rule did Akko recover from its forsaken state to enter a glorious era under the governorship of Pasha Ahmad Jazzar (1775-1804). He built the outer city walls, the majestic mosque that bears his name, and the bath-house in which the modern museum is located.

During this period, in 1799, the defences of Akko withstood a two-month siege by Napoleon, who was considerably weakened after the British fleet captured his siege guns. The stand at Akko thwarted his hopes of an eastern empire.

Akko began to lose importance with the growth of Haifa port, especially as the latter had deeper waters.

The Turks lifted the ban on building outside the Old City when, at the turn of the century, they allowed a new suburb to be developed in the north. After the War of Independence, another new quarter was built east of the Old City.

Akko was notorious during the British Mandate when Jewish underground fighters were held in the citadel. Some were hanged here. It made international headlines when Jewish commandos breached its walls in 1947.

The city fell to the Israelis two days after the proclamation of the State of Israel.

Today it is the world centre (together with Haifa) of the Bahai faith it also has a number of Roman Catholic and Maronite churches, in addition to mosques and synagogues.

With the re-opening of the subterranean Crusader City and its enduring charm as a fishing harbour, Akko is thriving as a tourist mecca. And its marina can only attract more visitors. The Israel Fringe Theatre Festival takes place here during Succot (Sept./Oct.). Most of the performances for a fee are in Hebrew. The Vocalisa (Vocal Music Festival) takes place during Passover (April).