Tour Guide, Jerusalem, Israel
| 2 mins read
The crumbling sandstone houses, minarets, churches and bell towers which are dominating the skyline of the old city are still surrounded by the impressive stone walls . These walls are telling the story of Jazzar Pasha, the governor of the city whose name instilled fear in all, and Napoleon, who laid siege to the walls and failed before retreating in 1799.
But more fascinating and surprising is the "underworld" of the city:
A brief stroll into the garden citadel that now serves as the visitors center, leads you a few meters below the alley level of today's city to a maze of passages and spaces that expose the traveler to the glorious past of Acre in the days of the Crusaders. The Hospitaller compound, which give food & shelter to thousands of Christian pilgrims, and healing aid after the troubles at sea, is a site not to miss! From the public toilet seats to the sewage tunals of the time – one can feal the hardship of a pilgrim in the 12 century.
When returning to the alleys of the modern city, you will meet the human mosaic of Moslems & Christians living among the remains of the old Acre. In evey corner you can feel the Turkish legacy: from the public bath house, which reveals the culture of the "spa" in the 18th & 19th century, to the old market that was the basis of the fruitful trade port of Acre. Its like a living museum that combines entertainment, adventure and a journey into time to the stories of the past.