Akko

Hi friends! Apologies for not posting more during my trip, the internet was very sluggish most of the time and it took eons to upload pictures. I plan on adding posts here and there in the next couple of days with information, thoughts, and pictures from the trip.

Akko is a town situated on the northern Israeli coast that served as the area’s most popular port for centuries and as the capital of a crusader kingdom. It is currently a lively town that is overflowing with ruins and history and people. Our day began with a trip to a Tahini factory. The only thing I knew about tahini was that you put it in hummus, but Yael (our tour guide) told me that it was like their peanut butter, only better. I beg to differ,  tahini isn’t my fav.

Visiting the tahini factory; Yael talks to the owner

Our next stop was to a Tunisian Synagogue. This was unlike any other synagogue I’d seen because the whole place–all the walls, ceilings, and floors–were COVERED in mosaics. There were depictions of everything from the Jewish Bible to Holocost memorials to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Tsion Badash dedicated his life to the art in the synagogue; he had a pretty impressive life’s work to display.

Then we went to the Crusader’s Halls. Ooooh the halls. These were incredible. In 1102 CE the Crusaders conquered Akko for it’s port, and then used it as the main one for all of their territory. The site is still undergoing excavation, but we got to walk all through the old halls, including a huge dinning area. It was originally a Hospitaller (German sect of crusaders) fortress, but crusaders from all over Europe occupied the town. Interesting fact: the word “hospital” comes from these Germans because they were known for taking care of all of the sick pilgrims who came to the holy sites from abroad.

Lunch was at a local restaurant situated on the top of the wall of the Templar Knight’s fort overlooking the sea. I was served a whole fried fish, bones, eyes, everything were still very much intact.

Our day ended at the Rosh Hanikra cliffs that looked like the smaller version of the White Cliffs of Dover. The cliffs are right on the Israeli-Lebanese boarder and had caves to explore underneath!