Israel: Old City of Acre
Acre, also know as Akka, is another one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town’s name and location is first referenced in 15th century BC. It has a long Greek, Judean, and Roman history, before becoming a major center of the Islamic empire, eventually taken over by Crusaders. Mamluks came a few centuries later and took control of the city for several hundred years. Napoleon laid siege to the city in 1799 but the Ottowan troops defended it. The old city is surrounded by walls and facing the sea, inside is a labyrinth of ancient cobblestone narrow streets and several mosques and large inns (square building where traders would stop before continuing their journeys along the trade routes). The population is mostly Arab including some Beduins, but the town is also the most sacred for Baha’i faith.
