Acre, Israel

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Acre
Ebreu transcription(s)
 - Ebreu עַכּוֹ
 - ISO 259 ʕakko
Arabic transcription(s)
 - Arabic عكّا
Acre is located in Israel
Acre
Coordinates: 32°55′40″N 35°04′54″E / 32.92778°N 35.08167°E / 32.92778; 35.08167
Destrict North
Govrenment
 - Heid o Municipality Shimon Lankri
Aurie
 - Tot 13,533 dunams (13.5 km2 / 5.2 sq mi)
Indwallers (2009)[1]
 - Tot 46,300

Acre (Ebreu: עַכּוֹ‎‎, Akko; Arabic: عكّا‎, ʻAkkā),[2] is a ceety in the Wastren Galilee region o northren Israel at the northren extremity o Haifa Bay. Acre is ane o the auldest continuously inhabitit steids in the kintra. Historically, it wis a strategic coastal link tae the Levant. Acre is the holiest ceety o the Bahá'í Faith.[3] In 2009, the population wis 46,300.[1] Acre is a mixed ceety, 72 percent Jewish an 28 percent Arab.

Table o contents

Demography [edit]

Acre ceety haw

Accordin tae the Israeli Central Office o Statistics, 95% o the residents in the Auld Ceety are Arab.[4] Anerlie aboot 15 percent o the current Arab population in the ceety descends frae families who lived there afore 1948.[5] Schuils for Arab citizens hae been unnerfundit. In 1999, there wur 22 schuils in Acre wi an enrollment o 15,000 childer.[6] In 2000 there wis anerlie ane Arab elementary schuil in the ceety.[7]

Education an cultur [edit]

The Sir Charles Clore Jewish-Arab Community Center in the Wolfson neighborhuid runs youth clubs an programs for Jewish an Arab childer. In 1990, Mohammed Faheli, an Arab resident o Acre, foondit the Acre Jewish-Arab association, which oreeginally operatit oot o twa bomb shelters. In 1993, Dame Vivien Duffield o the Clore Foundation donatit funds for a new biggin. Amang the programs affered is Peace Child Israel, which employs theater an the airts tae teach coexistence. The pairticipants, Jews an Arabs, spend twa months studyin conflict resolution an then wirk thegither tae produce an oreeginal theatrical performance that addresses the issues they hae explored. Anither program is Patriots o Acre, a community responsibility an youth tourism program that teaches childer tae become ambassadors for their ceety. In the simmer, the center runs an Arab-Jewish simmer camp for 120 disadvantaged childer aged 5–11. Some 1,000 childer take pairt in the Acre Center's youth club an youth programmin ivery week. Adult education programs hae been developed for Arab weemen interestit in completin their heich schuil education an acquirin computer skills tae prepare for joinin the wirkforce. The center an aa affers parentin courses, an muisic an dance classes.[8]

Landmarks [edit]

Acre's Auld Ceety haes been designatit bi UNESCO as a Warld Heritage Steid. Syne the 1990s, lairge-scale aircheological excavations hae been unnertaken an efforts are being made tae preserve auncient steids. In 2009, renovations wur planned for Khan al-Omadan, the Inn o the Columns", the lairgest o several Ottoman inns still staundin in Acre. It wis built near the port at the end o the 18t century bi Ahmed Pasha al-Jazzar. Merchants who arrived at the port wad unload their wares on the first floor an sleep in lodgins on the seicont floor. In 1906, a clocktouer wis addit ower the main entrance markin the 25t anniversary o the reign o the Turkis sultan, Abdul Hamid II.[9]

Ceety waws [edit]

Acre sea waw

In 1750, Daher El-Omar, the ruler o Acre, utilized the remnants o the Crusader waws as a fundation for his waws. Twa gates wur set in the waw, the "land gate" in the eastren wall, and the "sea gate" in the soothren wall. The waws wur reinforced atween 1775 an 1799 bi Jezzar Pasha an survived Napoleon's siege. The waw wis thin: its height wis 10 tae 13 metres (33 tae 43 feet) an its thickness anerlie ane metre (3 ft). A hivy land defense waw wis built north an east tae the ceety in 1800–1814 by Jezzar Pasha an his Jewish advisor Haim Farhi. It consists o a modren coonter airtillery fortification which includes a thick defensive wall, a dry moat, cannon ootposts an three burges (lairge defensive touers). Syne then, no major modifications have taken place. The sea waw, which remains maistly complete, is the oreeginal El-Omar's waw that wis reinforced bi Jezzar Pasha. In 1910 twa additional gates wur set in the waws, ane in the northren waw an ane in the north-wastren corner o the ceety. In 1912 the Acre lichthoose wis built on the sooth-wastren corner o the waws.

Jezzar Pasha Mosque [edit]

The Mosque o Jezzar Pasha wis built in 1781. Jezzar Pasha an his successor Suleiman Pasha, are baith buried in a sma graveyard adjacent tae the mosque. In a shrine on the second level o the mosque, a single hair frae the prophet Mohammed's beard is kept an shown on special ceremonial occasions.

Citadel o Acre [edit]

The current biggin which constitutes the citadel o Acre is an Ottoman fortification, built on the fundation o the Hospitallerian citadel. The citadel wis pairt o the ceety's defensive formation, reinforcin the northren waw. Durin the 20t century the citadel wis uised mainly as a preeson an as the site for a gallows. Durin the Breetish mandate period, activists o Jewish Zionist resistance movements wur held preesoner there; some wut executit there.

Hamam al-Basha [edit]

Hamam al-Basha

Built in 1795 bi Jezzar Pasha, Acre's hammam haes a series o hot ruims an a hexagonal steam ruim wi a marble funtain. It wis uised bi the Irgun as a brig tae break intae the citadel's preeson. The bathhoose kept functionin till 1950.

Knights' Haws [edit]

Knights Haws

Unner the citadel an preeson o Acre, airchaeological excavations revealed a complex o haws, which wis built an uised bi the Hospitallers Knights.[10] This complex wis a pairt o the Hospitallers' citadel, which wis combined in the northren waw o Acre. The complex includes sax semi-joined haws, ane recently excavatit lairge haw, a dungeon, a dinin room an remains o an auncient Gothic kirk. Medieval European remains include the Kirk o Saunt George an adjacent hooses at the Genovese Square (cried Kikar ha-Genovezim or Kikar Genoa in Ebreu). There wur an aa residential quarters an mercatplaces run bi merchants frae Pisa an Amalfi in Crusader an medieval Acre.

Bahá'í holy places [edit]

Bahai shrine in Acre, Bahji mansion

There are mony Bahá'í holy places in an aroond Acre. They oreeginate frae Bahá'u'lláh's impreesonment in the Citadel during Ottoman Rule. The feenal years o Bahá'u'lláh's life wur spent in the Mansion o Bahjí, juist ootside Acre, even though he wis still formally a preesoner o the Ottoman Empire. Bahá'u'lláh dee'd on Mey 29, 1892 in Bahjí, an his shrine is the maist holy place for Bahá'ís — their Qiblih, the location they face when sayin their daily prayers. It contains the remains o Bahá'u'lláh an is near the spot whaur he dee'd in the Mansion o Bahjí. Ither Bahá'í steids in Acre are the House of `Abbúd (whaur Bahá'u'lláh an his family residit) an the Hoose o `Abdu'lláh Páshá (whaur later 'Abdu'l-Bahá residit wi his family), an the Garden o Ridván whaur he spent the end o his life. In 2008, the Bahai holy places in Acre an Haifa wur addit tae the UNESCO Warld Heritage Leet.[11][12]

Transportation [edit]

The Acre central bus station, served bi Egged, affers ceety an inter-ceety bus routes tae destinations aw ower Israel. The ceety is an aa served bi the Acre Railway Station.

Twin touns — Sister ceeties [edit]

Acre is twinned wi:

References [edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Table 3 – Population of Localities Numbering Above 2,000 Residents and Other Rural Population. Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (2009-12-31). Retrieved on 6 Februar 2011. .
  2. ↑ Ither spellins an historical names o the ceety include Accho, Acco an (Bahá'í orthography) `Akká, or umwhile Aak, Ake, Akre, Akke, Ocina, Antiochia Ptolemais (Greek: Αντιόχεια της Πτολεμαΐδος), Antiochenes, Ptolemais Antiochenes, Ptolemais or Ptolemaïs, Colonia Claudii Cæsaris, an St.-Jean d'Acre (Acre for short)
  3. ↑ Jerry Stokes. Changing World Religions, Cults & Occult. Jerry Stokes. GGKEY:7PKT22E2TP3. Retrieved on 19 October 2010.
  4. ↑ http://www.cbs.gov.il/www/statistical/arabju.pdf
  5. ↑ Stern, Yoav. For Love of Acre. Haaretz. Retrieved on 20 October 2008. .
  6. ↑ Cooperative Learning in Israel's Jewish and Arab Schools
  7. ↑ Torstrick Rebecca L. (2000) The Limits of Coexistence: Identity Politics in Israel University of Michigan Press, ISBN 0472111248 p.219
  8. ↑ Ambassadors for peace emerging from mixed Israeli neighborhood
  9. ↑ Unearthing Acre's Ottoman roots
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named jewishmag1
  11. ↑ "Baha’i Shrines Chosen as World Heritage sites", Baha'i World News Service, 2008-07-08. Retrieved on 20 October 2008..
  12. ↑ Glass, Hannah. "Israeli Baha'i Sites Recognized by UNESCO", Haaretz, 2008-07-10. Retrieved on 20 October 2008..
  13. ↑ Pisa – Official Sister Cities. © Comune di Pisa, Via degli Uffizi, 1 – 56100 Pisa centralino: +39 050 910111. Retrieved on 16 Dizember 2008. .
  14. ↑ La Rochelle: Twin towns. www.ville-larochelle.fr. Retrieved on 7 November 2009. .
  15. ↑ Bielsko-Biała – Partner Cities. © 2008 Urzędu Miejskiego w Bielsku-Białej.. Retrieved on 10 Dizember 2008. .

Sources [edit]

  • Karsh, Efraim (2010). Palestine Betrayed. Yale University Press.

Freemit airtins [edit]

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