Built on the sclents oMunt Carmel, Haifa haes a history datin back tae Biblical times. The earliest kent dounset in the vicinity wisTell Abu Hawam, a sma port ceety established in theLate Bronze Age (14t century BC).[7] In the 3rd century AD, Haifa wis kent as a dye-makin center. Ower the centuries, the ceety haes chynged haunds: It haes been conquered an ruled bi thePhoenicians,Ebreus,Persians,Hasmoneans,Romans,Byzantines,Arabs,Crusaders,Ottomans,Egyptians,Breetish, an theIsraelis. Synee the establishment o the State o Israel in 1948, the ceety haes been govrened bi the Haifa Municipality.
The day, the ceety is a majorseaport locatit on Israel'sMediterranean coastline in theBay o Haifa coverin 63.7 square kilometres (24.6 sq mi). It is locatit aboot 90 kilometres (56 mi) north oTel Aviv an is the major regional centre onorthren Israel. Twa respectit academic institutions, theUniversity o Haifa an theTechnion, are locatit in Haifa, an the ceety plays an important role in Israel'seconomy. It haes several heh-tech pairks, amang them the auldest an lairgest in the kintra,[8] an industrial port, an a petroleum refinery. Haifa wis umwhile the wastren terminus o anile pipeline fraeIraq viaJordan.[9]
The oreegin o the name "Haifa" is unclear. Accordin tae historian Alex Carmel, it mey come frae the Ebreu verb ruit חפה (hafa), meanin tae kiver or shield, i.e. Munt Carmel covers Haifa.[10] Anither possible oreegin is the Ebreu wird חוֹף (hof), an aa meaninbeach, or חוֹף יָפֶה (hof yafe), meaninbonnie beach.[11] SomeChristians believe that the toun wis named efter the heich priestCaiaphas, orSaunt Peter (Keiphah inAramaic).[10]
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