Akko is one of the world's oldest continuously-inhatbited cities, dating back to 1504-1450 BCE, the Early Bronze Age. The old walled port city of Akko (Acre) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Akko fell to Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. In 638 CE the Muslims captured Akko and ruled until the Crusaders seized the city in 1104 CE and made it their capital.
The Hospitaller Fortress was built by the Hospitaller Order, a monastic military order, which thrived in Jerusalem during the First Crusader Kingdom (1099 - 1187 CE). In 1187 Saladin captured Akko but was ousted by the Third Crusade's Richard the Lionheart's troops in 1191. Under his rule the city became the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem under the directorship of the Knights Hospitaller.
The Knights Templar, a military-monastic order who aided pilgrims from Europe, built the 150m-long Templars Tunnel to connect their main fortress with the port. It was only discovered in 1994.
In 1291 the Mamluks invaded Akko after a two-month siege. The city fell into disrepair for five hundred years.
The Turkish fortified the city. Napolean landed in Akko in 1799 but withdrew after two months. Akko fell under Ottoman rule until their defeat by the British in 1918, placing the city under the British Mandate. Akko was captured by Jewish forces on 17 May 1948 during the Arab-Israeli War.
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Last modified 8 November 2022