The Arab ruler of Galilee, Dahr El Omar, built this citadel almost two hundred years after the expulsion of the crusaders from Akko and the consignment to the oblivion of this magnificent medieval city. The rulers who followed him strengthened and expanded the citadel, turning it into a palace. This is how the garden and courtyard, already known to us, appeared. But not only the beauty and luxury accompanied the power of the almost autocratic rulers of Akko of the Ottoman Empire. The authorities were accompanied by cruelty, and a gloomy huge prison is its exact image. The huge territory of the former crusader halls adjacent to the citadel became a prison. The founder of the Bahá'í faith, Bahá'Ullah, was imprisoned there. The British inherited the prison and turned it into the Alcatraz of Palestine. Zeev Jabotinsky was held here.
Akko is one of the oldest cities in the world. In our century, it will be almost 35 thousand years old. The Phoenicians founded it, and many cultures and empires left their mark on it, from the Mesopotamian rulers of the Middle East to the Greeks and Romans. However, the most significant period in the history of the city is the kingdom of the Crusaders. Medieval knights left behind delightful buildings, which the Arab rulers of Akko buried underground with enviable obstinacy and constancy. This underground city will appear to our eyes, and after getting to know the halls of the crusaders, we will take a walk in Arab Akko - full of oriental quirks and contradictions and finish the walk with a portion hummus. Don't forget to buy tickets to the Crusader Halls complex, including the Turkish Baths and the Templar Tunnel.
