• Half-day tour of the ancient city of Akko, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Explore the Knights Citadel, once the headquarters of the crusader-era monastic order of the Knights Hospitaler and Templer Tunnel.
• Visit the Al Jazzar Pasha Mosque to learn about the Islamic history of Akko and Muslim prayer.
• Learn about the mystical Sufi Shazliya order and how it was founded in Akko in the 19th century. 
• See where the founder of the Baha’I faith, the Baha’ullah was imprisoned and Beit Aboud, where he wrote the Kitab I Aqdas (The Most Holy Book).
• Walk through the old city market, see the Caravanserai of Columns (Khan al Umdan) and enjoy a traditional Arabic mezze lunch overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
• Enjoy a traditional Arabic mezze lunch overlooking the Mediterranean Sea
• Optional: Visit the Bahji Gardens where the Baha’ullah is buried instead of lunch.

With a rich history stretching back over 5,000 years, the port city of Akko is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the longest continuously inhabited cities anywhere in the world. Considered a holy city by many, Akko also boasts several unique minority communities that maintain a special connection to this place.

This half-day tour will take you to some of the city’s classic tourist attractions, such as the Knight’s Hall, Templar tunnel, and Old City market, while also introducing you to the local people that make Akko such a colorful place.

We will begin this tour at the Crusader-era Knights Hall, which was the world headquarters of the Knights Hospitallers or Knights of Malta. We will learn how this enormous archaeological site was accidentally discovered by inmates who were trying to tunnel their way out of the prison that sat on top of it. 

It was in this very prison that the Baha’ullah, the founder of the Baha’I faith was imprisoned when he and his followers were brought here. It was in Akko where the Baha’ullah wrote the Kitab al Aqdas (Most Holy Book), and Baha’is from all over the world face Akko when they pray.

From here, we will continue to the Al Jazar Pasha or Anwar Mosque, where we will learn about the Islamic history of Akko, Muslim prayer, and Napoleon’s failed siege of the city. At the mosque it will be possible to meet some locals and ask them any questions you may have about Islam. 

We continue past the nearby Shazliya Mosque, which is the headquarters of a mystical Islamic Sufi sect founded in Akko in the latter part of the 19th century. Today, the Shazliya are headquartered in Beirut and all that remains are the tombs of the first leaders of this Muslim order. 

As we meander through the little alleyways of Akko, we reach the Old City market where we will try some local treats before heading on to Khan al Umdan (Caravanserai of Columns), and the Templer Tunnel. Discovered in the 1990s, the Templer tunnel runs for hundreds of feet under the old city to sea. 

As we will walk through the tunnel, we’ll see if we can figure out what purpose the tunnel served. Lastly, following a traditional Arabic meal, we will depart the Old City and head back to your ship or hotel. 

Optional: Bahji Gardens and Tomb of Baha’ullah instead of lunch. These beautiful gardens surround the home where the founder of the Baha’I faith lived out his final years and where he is buried.