Acre Lighthouse
The lighthouse is located on the south-western corner of Acre. It is located over the foundations of the Crusaders Templar fortress.
Home > Sites > Acre > Lighthouse (El Manara)
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Background:
The modern lighthouse is located on the south-western corner of Acre, near the base of the Ottoman tower "Burj El Sanjak".
It is located over the foundations of the Crusaders Templar fortress, currently submerged in the bay near the lighthouse. A secret tunnel was discovered recently, that once connected the Templars fortress to the ancient port.
The site is also the starting point of a walk over the southern walls, from the light house, to the marina on the eastern side.
Location and Aerial map:
The following aerial view shows the location of the lighthouse, on the south western side of the old city. You can point on the purple points to navigate to the selected point in this web page.
History:
| Period | Date | Event | |
| Crusaders | 1104AD | Crusaders conquer the city ; fortify the city; their port is on the eastern side | |
| 1187AD | Saladin takes the city after capturing Jerusalem; Christians are evacuated | ||
| 1191AD | Richard the Lion Heart retakes the city on the 3rd Crusade | ||
| Acre becomes the capital of the remnant of the Kingdom of Jerusalem | |||
| beginning 13th C | The Templars build a fortress on the south-western side | ||
| Mamelukes | 1291AD | After siege, Mamelukes capture the city; they destroy it completely, including the Templars fortress; the city remains a small village | |
| Ottomans | 1517AD | Ottomans take the city; city falls into total decay | |
| end of 18thC | Jezzer Pasha improves
and fortifies the city - including the external (present) walls The Burj el Sanjek tower is built as part of the defense walls |
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| 1912 | The modern lighthouse structure is built | ||
| Israel | Today | The light house is closed to the public, but there is an easy access to its base |
Photos:
Lighthouse:
The photo below shows the lighthouse, one of Acre's landmarks, located on the south-west corner of the old city. It is located on the ruins of an Ottoman tower - Burj El-Sanjak. The lighthouse, a white concrete tower painted with black horizontal stripes, checkerboard style, is 33M high above sea level. It warns the sailors in the Acre bay on the position of the edge of the city.
Click on the photos to view in higher resolution...
A view of the lighthouse from the tower of Kashla. In the background - Mount Carmel and the bay of Haifa. On the left side - the houses of the Arabs that live in the old city. It is also the western side of the Templars tunnel - its entrance is on the far left side.
Views from the Lighthouse:
This is a view from the lighthouse, towards the north-east. The shallow waters in the bay cover the foundations of the Crusaders Templar fortress. On the far left is the tower called Burj el Kashla.
Another eastward view from the lighthouse, with the southern walls of Acre, is seen below. The church is St. John, and the port of Acre is seen in the right background. It is recommended to walk along the walls towards the port.
Burj El Kashla:
The ruins of an Ottoman tower is located across the small bay, at the end of the parking lot. There are stairs that lead to a balcony on the top, seen on the right side. The tower is called Burj El-Kashla.
The photo below shows the view from the terrace on top of the tower. The mountain in the far background is the Carmel and the city of Haifa.
Links:
Etymology (behind the word):
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