Akko Old City & Templar Tunnel Tour

Two cities, one on top of the other

Few places in Israel show history in layers as clearly as Akko. Below the streets lies the Crusader city, once the main port of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Above it stands the Ottoman town rebuilt in the 18th century, with its mosque, caravanserai, bathhouse and walls. The Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

The Templar Tunnel

In 1994 a resident of Akko complained about a blocked sewer. Workers who went down to check found a tunnel carved into the rock that no one knew existed. It runs from the area of the Templar fortress in the southwest of the city, near the sea, to the port in the east, beneath what was once the Pisan quarter. According to Old Akko, it is about 150 meters long.

The western part opened to visitors in 1999, and later the entire length. Why was it dug? No one knows for sure. The most common explanation is a protected passage between the fortress and the port, away from crowded streets and rival communities.

Tunnel facts

Who were the Knights Templar?

The Order of the Knights Templar was founded in Jerusalem around 1119 to protect pilgrims. Its name came from its headquarters on the Temple Mount, which the Crusaders called the Temple of Solomon. In Akko the Templars held the strongest fortress in the city, and when Akko fell to the Mamluks in 1291, it was among the last places to hold out. In 1307 Templars were arrested across France, and in 1312 the order was dissolved.

Above ground

After 1291 Akko lay largely in ruins for a long time. In the 18th century it was rebuilt by the local ruler Daher al-Omar and then by Ahmad al-Jazzar, who built the great mosque (1781), Khan al-Umdan (1784) and the walls. In 1799 those walls stopped Napoleon. Nearby are the Knights' Halls of the Hospitallers, the Turkish bathhouse, the market and the fishing port.

Akko through the ages

Tips for the visit

• Tickets. Several sites, including the tunnel, charge entrance fees. Group tickets are arranged in advance.
• Walking. Stone alleys and stairs. The tunnel is narrow and low in places and is not suitable for strollers.
• Heat. In summer, the tunnel and the Knights' Halls stay relatively cool, so plan them for the hottest hours.

Two Templars, one name

The Knights Templar have nothing to do with the German Templers who settled in Haifa and the Galilee in the 19th century, apart from the name, which both took from the word Temple. A favorite day with Kobi combines both: the tunnel in Akko in the morning, and the Templer house in Bethlehem of Galilee in the evening. German Templer colonies tour.

Frequently asked questions