Acre (Hebrew:עַכּוֹ,Akko;Arabic:عكّا,ʻAkkā),[2] is aceety in the WastrenGalilee region onorthrenIsrael at the northren extremity oHaifa Bay. Acre is ane o the auldest continuously inhabitit steids in the kintra. Historically, it wis a strategic coastal link tae theLevant. Acre is the holiest ceety o theBahá'í Faith.[3] In 2009, the population wis 46,300.[4] Acre is a mixed ceety, 72 percent Jewish an 28 percent Arab.
Accordin tae the Israeli Central Office o Statistics, 95% o the residents in the Auld Ceety are Arab.[5] Anerlie aboot 15 percent o the current Arab population in the ceety descends frae families who lived thare afore 1948.[6] Schuils for Arab ceetizens hae been unnerfundit. In 1999, thare wur 22 schuils in Acre wi an enrollment o 15,000 childer.[7] In 2000 thare wis anerlie ane Arabelementary schuil in the ceety.[8]
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, DameVivien 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 month studyin conflict resolution an then wirk thegither tae produce an oreeginal theatrical performance that addresses the issues thay hae explored. Anither program is Patriots o Acre, a community responsibility an youth tourism program that teaches childer tae acome ambassadors for thair ceety. In the simmer, the centre runs an Arab-Jewish simmer camp for 120 disadvantaged childer aged 5–11. Some 1,000 childer tak 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 thair heich schuil education an acquirin computer skills tae prepare for joinin the wirkforce. The centre an aa affers parentin courses, an muisic an dance classes.[9]
Acre's Auld Ceety haes been designatit biUNESCO as aWarld Heritage Steid. Syne the 1990s, lairge-scale aircheological excavations hae been unnertaken an efforts are bein 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 biggit near the port at the end o the 18t century biAhmed Pasha al-Jazzar. Merchants who arrived at the port wad unload thair 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.[10]
In 1750,Daher El-Omar, the ruler o Acre, utilized the remnants o theCrusader waws as a fundation for his waws. Twa gates wur set in the waw, the "land gate" in the eastren wall, an the "sea gate" in the soothren wall. The waws wur reinforced atween 1775 an 1799 biJezzar Pasha an survivedNapoleon's siege. The waw wis thin: its heicht wis 10 tae 13 metres (33 tae 43 feet) an its thickness anerlie ane metre (3ft). A hivy landdefence waw wis biggit north an east tae the ceety in 1800–1814 biJezzar Pasha an his Jewish advisorHaim Farhi. It consists o a modren coonter airtilleryfortification which includes a thickdefensive wall, a drymoat,cannon ootposts an threeburges (lairge defensive touers). Syne then, no major modifications hae 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 theAcre lichthoose wis biggit on the sooth-wastren corner o the waws.
TheMosque o Jezzar Pasha wis biggit in 1781.Jezzar Pasha an his successorSuleiman Pasha, are baith buried in a sma graveyard adjacent tae the mosque. In a shrine on the seicont level o the mosque, a single hair frae the prophet Mohammed's beard is kept an shawn on special ceremonial occasions.
The current biggin which constitutes the citadel o Acre is anOttoman fortification, biggit on the fundation o theHospitallerian citadel. The citadel wis pairt o the ceety's defensive formation, reinforcin the northren waw. Durin the 20t century thecitadel wis uised mainly as apreeson an as the site for agallows. Durin theBreetish mandate period, activists o Jewish Zionistresistance movements wur held preesoner thare; some wut executit thare.
Built in 1795 bi Jezzar Pasha, Acre'shammam haes a series o het ruims an a hexagonal steam ruim wi a marble funtain. It wis uised bi theIrgun as a brig tae break intae the citadel's preeson. The bathhoose kept functionin till 1950.
Unner the citadel an preeson o Acre, airchaeological excavations revealed a complex o haws, which wis biggit an uised bi theHospitallers Knights.[11] This complex wis a pairt o the Hospitallers' citadel, which wis combined in the northren waw o Acre. The complex includes sax semi-jynt haws, ane recently excavatit lairge haw, a dungeon, adinin room an remains o an auncientGothic kirk.Medieval European remains include the Kirk oSaunt George an adjacent hooses at the Genovese Square (cried Kikar ha-Genovezim or Kikar Genoa in Ebreu). Thare wur an aa residential quarters an mercatplaces run bi merchants fraePisa anAmalfi inCrusader an medieval Acre.
Thare are monyBahá'í holy places in an aroond Acre. Thay oreeginate fraeBahá'u'lláh's impreesonment in theCitadel during Ottoman Rule. The feenal years o Bahá'u'lláh's life wur spent in the Mansion oBahjí, juist ootside Acre, even tho he wis still formally a preesoner o the Ottoman Empire. Bahá'u'lláh dee'd on Mey 29, 1892 in Bahjí, an hisshrine is themaist holy place for Bahá'ís — thairQiblih, the location thay face when sayin thair 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 theHouse of `Abbúd (whaur Bahá'u'lláh an his family residit) an theHoose o `Abdu'lláh Páshá (whaur later 'Abdu'l-Bahá residit wi his family), an theGarden o Ridván whaur he spent the end o his life. In 2008, theBahai holy places in Acre anHaifa wur addit tae theUNESCOWarld Heritage Leet.[12][13]
The Acre centralbus station, served biEgged, affers ceety an inter-ceety bus routes tae destinations aw ower Israel. The ceety is an aa served bi theAcre Railway Station.
↑Ither spellins an historical names o the ceety includeAccho,Acco an (Bahá'í orthography)`Akká, or umwhileAak,Ake,Akre,Akke,Ocina,Antiochia Ptolemais (Greek:Αντιόχεια της Πτολεμαΐδος),Antiochenes,Ptolemais Antiochenes,Ptolemais orPtolemaïs,Colonia Claudii Cæsaris, anSt.-Jean d'Acre (Acre for short)
