Up North....

After visiting the Ba'hai Gardens and Haifa Kyle and I headed to our next stop, the old city of Akko. Akko is about 30 north of Haifa. The city was first mentioned in Egyptian texts from the 19th century BC. Alexander the Great established a mint there in 333 BC and operated for 600 years. In 636 Akko fell to the Arabs until the time of the crusades. The Crusaders established it as thier principle lifeline and port. In 1291 the Mamluks pounded the city to rubble where it remained that way for 450 years. After that an Ottoman by the name of Al-Jazzar, a.k.a. the butcher, brought the city back to life. He was not called the butcher because he was good at cutting meat. Al-Jazzar had 37 wives. After returning from a trip he was told that one of his wives had cheated on him. He could not tell who had done it, so he killed them all. Not someone you would want to play a practical joke on. By 1799 the city was important enough for Napolean to have interests in conquering it. He was denied and Akko remained in Turkish hands until the British captured Palistine in 1917. This is just a brief outline of the Akko's turmulous history. This is one of the coolest parts about being in Israel. There is so much history everywhere you turn. Over 3,000 years since its beginning, the city still houses many families and a large market. After Akko we headed north to the border of Israel and Lebanon where there are a series of grottos (caves), carved into the cliffs by the ocean. It was pretty crazy seing the border and all of the Israeli soldiers stationed there. It brought to life the harsh reality of living in this confined country with enemies on all sides. After the caves we headed south back towards are apartment in Herzliya. I stopped in another old city called Cesarea, while Kyle was tired and headed home. Cesarea was built by the Phoenicians in 332 BC and in 6 BC it became the headquarters of the Roman government in Palestine (Israel). However, much of the ruins that I saw where from the crusader period. These old cities have been conquered and re-conquered so many times that it makes it really hard to keep the facts in order. It is really amazing being in these old places. There are definitely opportunities to use my degree as a student of anthropology. Many of the sites are continuing to be excavated. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the history lesson for today. As for the pics.....From top left working down...Cesarea looking across the main part of the city. Ruins in the central part of Cesarea. Underground tunnel used by crusader knights in Akko. Akko city streets at night. The west fortification wall of Akko. Cave in the north. Cliffs that the caves are carved out of.