Comprehensive Tour in Acre, Israel - Hospitaller Fortress (Knights' Halls) | A Must-Watch

Information about Acre ( Aca, Akko, Akka, Acco, or St Joan d’Acre) itself will be provided after this announcement.

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Many tourists visit the Old City of Acre without realizing that there is a complete city beneath the ancient streets. The Acre Crusader City was built during the 12th century and destroyed in 1291 when the Mamluks conquered Acre and built their own city on the Crusader ruins.

After painstaking excavation and restoration, visitors can now visit Acre’s Crusader City and see the massive Crusader halls, passages, tunnels and chambers. Despite the impressive structure and size of the Crusader City maps found in the Vatican library show that only about 4% of Acre’s Crusader City has been recovered. Acre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Acre’s natural harbor made it a valuable entry point to the Holy Land and Christian pilgrims on route to Jerusalem would often land in Acre. Acre was the connection between medieval Europe and the Middle East. Ships arrived from across the continent bringing foreign cultures, ideas, pilgrims and merchandise.

Acre (also known as Aca, Akko, Akka, Acco or St Joan d’Acre) is one of the oldest cities in the world, situated just north of Haifa along Israel’s Mediterranean coast. The city has seen conquerors come and go over the last 4,500 years (at least). One of the most fascinating periods of Acre’s history was during the Crusader era.
Who Were the Crusaders of Acre?
The Crusaders were Christian monastic soldiers on a mission to protect the Holy Land and provide safe passage to visiting pilgrims. The Crusaders believed that Jerusalem was under threat from the Muslims. They made four crusades to the Holy Land to try and secure the land of Christ for Christians.

The First Crusade (1187-1099) secured Jerusalem as the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Crusaders held Acre from 1104 until 1187 when Saladin took the city. With the help of Richard the Lionheart the Crusaders retook Acre in 1191 after a two-year siege as part of the Third Crusade. During the Third Crusade, the Christians did not retain their stronghold in Jerusalem and so they planned to transfer their headquarters to the new Crusader buildings in Acre.

New floors and new wings were added to the original Hospitallers Center. Acre became the capital of the Second Crusader Kingdom (1191-1291). Under the Crusaders Acre was known as St John d’Acre, the city was named in honor of John the Baptist, the patron saint of the Knights Hospitallers. The Christians remained in the city until 1291 when the Mamluks destroyed Acre and expelling all Christians.

The city lay in ruins for about 500 years until the Ottomans arrived. The Ottoman Turks rebuilt the city on top of the Crusader ruins leaving a hidden city beneath the ground. In the 1950s excavations began and today the Acre Crusader City is once more accessible.


The Knights Templar
The Knights Templar was a monastic military Crusader Order that wore white clothing with a red cross. They were first established in the Holy Land on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount (hence the name – Templars). When Jerusalem was taken by Salah a-Din in 1187 the Templars moved to Acre where the Hospitallers had already established a presence. The Templars built their fortress in the southwestern section of the city.

The strong fortress ran along the seafront and the entrance was protected by two large towers. The Templars and Hospitallers didn’t always see eye-to-eye but their fates were intertwined. When the Mamluks arrived in 1291 both Crusader Orders were expelled. The Templars carved out a tunnel running from their fortress in the west to the port in the east. The underground tunnel was a possible escape route if they were ever attacked.