The Legacy of Abraham: Travel Diary

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After having given ourselves one night to rest, the group (at least the seven of us who made the first flight to Tel Aviv) took a leisurely outing to the ancient port city of Acre. Settled 4000 years ago by Canaanite settlers who found the river and the sand to be useful and beautiful, Acre has had a tragic and influential history. It was from this port that Herod landed to begin his campaign to conquer the Holy Land. During the Bar Kochba rebellion, most of Acre’s (known as Akko in Hebrew) Jewish inhabitants were slaughtered. In 636 C.E. at the time of the Arab conquest, Akko became a Muslim stronghold until the Crusaders came four centuries later, renaming the city St. Jean d’Acre, or Acre. The Old City which has been excavated and is underground displays the dining hall, famous to the crusader Knights. When the Crusaders were ousted by the Marmelukes, later Muslims built the walls which surround Acre today. Legend has it that one of the architects of the walls (Ahmed who is known as el-Jazzar, the butcher) had all the workers killed and their bodies built into the wall itself so that the secret of how the wall was built could never be revealed to anyone else. Walls or no walls, however, the city fell once again, this time to Napoleon in 1799. With the invention of the steamboat, Acre diminished as a port city, yielding to nearby Haifa, some 15 miles away. But the beauty and tranquillity of this town remain, with Muslims, Jews, and Christians all seeking to live together.

In addition to the impressive walls which surround the city, another marker of the town is the Mosque Al-Jazzar, named for the military leader who helped build the walls. He is buried in front of the Mosque in the courtyard.

Inside Mosque Al-Jazzar is the intricately designed art and architecture which provides a place for Muslims to gather for public prayer. Five times a day, a muezzin calls from the minaret next to this domed mosque, imploring all Muslims to remember that There is no God but the God (Allah) and Mohammed is Allah’s prophet. Men pray in the downstairs area of this mosque, facing the kibleh (directional marker which always faces Mecca in Saudia Arabia) while women pray from a balcony upstairs. Islam forbids any representational art which shows the likeness of humans, animals, or Allah, so Muslim mosques have been known for their calligraphy and the graphic arts as evidenced in the rugs which cover the floors and the decorated tiles on the walls.

Lovely Hibiscus tree in the courtyard of Al-Jazzar Mosque.

We had our first introduction to the smells and color of a middle eastern market or "souk." Despite the fact that Acre is not the hub of trade it once was, the life of this market was still apparent as spices and pastries, meats, clothing, and souvenirs lined the narrow stone streets.

After Acre, once all the students and Gordon had arrived, we traveled together for the first time as a whole to the village of Nazareth, where we visited the Church of the Annunciation.