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Haifa, Israel's third largest city, is built on three tiers. It cascades
down Mount Carmel and is a busy industrial port.
With several university campuses in town and a thriving technology community, Haifa is a modern, livable city. |
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Haifa is the world headquarters of the Baha'i religion, an offshoot of Islam that has its roots in nineteenth century Persia. The Baha'i Gardens spill down Mount Carmel in nineteen phases, and in the middle is a shrine to the Bab, the prophet central to the faith. Using symmetry, color, exacting foliage maintenance, and water, all controlled by sophisticated circulation systems and a team of one hundred gardeners, the gardens offer a meditative retreat and a place of pilgrimage for the world's five million Baha'i worshippers. |
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The ancient city of Akko has a long history, but the present
excavations focus on two tiers of ruins, the old Crusader city and an
Ottoman fortress. Akko, so near to Jerusalem, was the headquarters of the
Crusader Knights Hospitallers. These vaulted ceilings are typical of the
architecture of Crusader castles.
The upper layer of fortification during the Ottoman period was the work of Ahmad Pasha Al-Jazzar (his name translates to "the butcher" due to his penchant for cutting off people's hands.) |
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The nineteenth-century Stella Maris Carmelite Church is built over the ruins of a 1099 Crusader site. Though the building isn't of great historical significance, this Carmelite church is situated on Mount Carmel, for which the order is named. A cave inside the church is viewed by believers as that in which Elijah hid from King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. |
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