Old Acre, or the Old City of Akko, is an ancient port city in Israel with a long history stemming back thousands of years and is UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This city, like Old Jaffa and the Old City of Jerusalem is an ancient city that is still filled with life.
In fact, I think Old Acre is the most interesting part of Akko since it is filled with historical sites.
This is one of the few coastal cities in the Mediterranean whose ancient walls still sand.
Famous names in history such as King Tut, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, Richard the Lionheart, Suliman the Magnificent, and Napoleon Bonaparte are associated with the city.
It was also the at one time one of the most important cities in the Jewish world.
The origin of the name “Acre” is unknown.
According to Jewish tradition when the ocean was created, it expanded until it reached Acre and then G-d said “Ad Po” meaning up until here and the name developed over time to Akko.
Greek legend say it got it’s name from the Greek word for medicine Ákē because after one of his many battles Hercules found healing herbs here.
Jews lived in Old Acre since Hasmonean Dynasty and became of the most important Jewish communities in Israel and abroad the in 9th century.
Today, Akko is still a predominantly Jewish city but Old Acre is a predominantly Arab area.
Checkout the Old Acre website for a list of events and festivals.