Acre, Haifa District, Israel — West Asia (the Levant in the Middle East)

The Crusader Fortress of the Knights of the Hospital and the Ottoman-Turkish Citadel of Akko

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, March 8, 2013

1. The Crusader Fortress of the Knights of the Hospital and the Ottoman-Turkish Citadel of Akko Marker

Inscription.
On this site, in the 12th-13th century, towered the fortress of the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of Saint John (the "Hospitallers") who were based in Akko (Acre) until the Muslim conquest of the city in 1291. Over the ruins of the fortress, which was reconstructed by the Ottoman Turks in the 17th and 18th centuries, was built the Citadel and Palace of the Governors Akko. In the mid-19th century the Ottoman authorities added here a large prison.

Under the British Administration (1918-1948) these buildings served as Government offices and were the largest prison in Palestine. Among those incarcerated there were also the fighters of the Jewish underground. After the Establishment of the State of Israel, until 1985 part of the building complex housed as a mental Hospital.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Forts and Castles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1291.

Location. 32° 55.418′ N, 35° 4.205′ E. Marker is in Acre, Haifa District. Marker can be reached from Weizmann just west of Omar El Mukhtar, on the right when traveling south. This historical marker is located within the fortified walls of the Old City of Acre. Upon passing through the main gates of the Old City, turn immediately to your right,

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

where tourist parking and the visitor's center are located. Once you have gone through the visitor center, you will step out into a good sized open courtyard. Walk through the open courtyard, to a corridor at the west end of the courtyard, pass through the corridor and in a small inner courtyard you will find this historical marker affixed to a nearby wall. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Acre, Haifa District 24112-02, Israel. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within 18 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Crusaders (within shouting distance of this marker); The Shrine and Mansion of Bahá’u’lláh (approx. 3.4 kilometers away); Exodus (approx. 13 kilometers away); The German Colony Story (approx. 14 kilometers away); Raoul Wallenberg's Residence (approx. 14.6 kilometers away); The Shrine of the Báb Terraces and Gardens (approx. 14.8 kilometers away); The Lion's Trail - Nesher (approx. 17.6 kilometers away).

More about this marker. I confess that my initial GPS readings proved to be inaccurate and when I began posting this marker those original GPS co-ordinates showed the marker as being situated just offshore from the fortified walls of the Old City, which I knew was not the case. So I recalculated using Google Maps and the map provided by the Akko website.

Also see . . .
1. Akko.

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, March 8, 2013

2. The Crusader Fortress of the Knights of the Hospital and the Ottoman-Turkish Citadel of Akko Marker

A distant view of the historical marker, affixed to the fortress wall, just to the right of the corridor entrance.

This is a link to information provided by the Old Acre Development Company. (Submitted on May 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)

2. Acre, Israel. This is a link to information provided by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (Submitted on May 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)

3. Knights Hospitaller. This is a link to information provided by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (Submitted on May 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)

4. Knights Halls. This is a link to information provided by the BibleWalks.com website. (Submitted on May 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, March 8, 2013

3. The Crusader Fortress of the Knights of the Hospital and the Ottoman-Turkish Citadel of Akko Marker

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, March 8, 2013

4. The Crusader Fortress of the Knights of the Hospital and the Ottoman-Turkish Citadel of Akko Marker

View of part of the fortress complex.

Photographed By Dale K. Benington, March 8, 2013

5. The Crusader Fortress of the Knights of the Hospital and the Ottoman-Turkish Citadel of Akko Marker

View of part of the interior of the fortress complex.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,206 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 20, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 21, 2013, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.