Welcome To Acre

Acre
The Home Town Of Ghassan Kanafani
عكا - עַכּוֹ
Ethnically cleansed days ago

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Town Statistics & Facts

Statistic/Fact

Value

Occupation date

18th of May 1948 (few days after the fall of Jaffa)

Elevation from the sea

30 meters

Maps

Map of Acre city

Map of Acre district and neighboring villages

Battle for the city

N/A

Acts of terror

The massacre of 79 Palestinians soon after occupation.
No further information is available, so please do not hesitate to share with us any information about this unknown massacre.

Ethnic cleansing

Out of 13,000 Palestinians who used to call Acre home, only 3,000 Palestinians were allowed to stay.

Refugees' migration route

Before the encirclement of the city, some of Acre's inhabitants fled on foot to the Eastern hills, and some fled North to Lebanon. After the encirclement of the city, many of the inhabitants of the city and its defenders fled via boats to Tyre (Sour), Sayda, and Beirut Lebanon. Click here to view a map that illustrates refugees' migration routes.

Ironically, often Zionists accuse the Arabs of plotting to push the Jews into the sea!

City's name through history

Domination Period	Notes
Canaanites	Acre was first founded by either a Canaanite or a Phoenician Arab tribe known by al-Jar Jashyyein on Tel al-Fukhar, two kilometers East of the city. For the Canaanites, Acre was known by 'Akkaw (meaning hot sand), which is derived from the Arabic word of 'Akk, meaning intense rubbing.
Ancient Egyptians	'Akka (as it's known to Arabs now)
Israelites	Accho
Greeks	Ptolemais
Crusades	Accon, Acre, Acri, and Saint Jeand Acre (Nights of Saint John Mary).
Zionist	Akko

District's size

In 1945, the district covered an area of 799.67 square kilometer, of which 2.79 square kilometer were allocated for public use, such as roads, wadies, railroads ... etc. Zionists owned only 25 square kilometer, which constituted 3.1% of the overall district's size.

During the Ottoman period, the district was made up of 60 plus villages, but during the British Mandate it was shrunk to 48 village (of which 26 villages where completely ethnically cleansed and defaced by the Zionists after the 194 war), eight Bedouin localities, and nine Zionist colonies.

It should noted that the villages of Iqrit, Tabrikha, and al-Mansura are Lebanese villages which became part of Palestine after WWI.

District's population

Year	Total	Muslim Arabs	Christian Arabs	Jews
1904	31,517	24,504	6,895	118
1909	36,720	28,256	8,334	130
1915	41,322	32,241	8,975	105
1922	35,535*	28,197**	6,194	144
1931	45,142***	37,372**	7,672	296
1945	68,330	54,230**	11,150	2,950

* In the Ottoman period, Acre district was made off 60 plus villages, which explains the drop in population in 1922.
** Statistic includes Sunni, Shee'a, Druze, and Bahai Muslim sects.
*** Number of houses in the district in 1931 was 9,978.

District's agriculture

Crops*	Metric Tons
Grain	8,853
Cereal	2,915
Lentil	561
Corn	2,405
Sesame	624
Olive	9,607
Watermelon	4,498
Grape	601
Fig	2,166
Almond	27
Vegetables	12,271
Citrus and Banana **	716
Note that the above data are based upon 1943 statistics.

District's livestock

Type	count
Horses	1,093
Mules	259
Donkeys	6,082
Camels*	861
Caws	16,676
Sheep	41,995
Pigs	2,172
Chicken	81,929
Turkey	1,027
Note that the above data are based upon 1943 statistics. It should be noted that predominantly all Palestinians' livestock was completely LOOTED and it became property of the "Jewish state".

District's major plantations

Crops*	Arab	Jewish
Olives**	54,246	0
Citrus***	8,631	197
Banana	122	12
* In dunums Based on 1942 statistics * Based on 1945 statistics It should be noted that predominantly all Palestinians' plantations were completely LOOTED, and it became property of the "Jewish state".

District's wadies and rivers

River/Wadi	Note
Wadi Karkarat	It originates at Tabrikha, then it passes through Khirbat Karkarat (which was named after), and it terminates at Meinat al-Mesheirfah 2 km south of Ra's al-Naqurah. This wadi is known to Israelis by Nahal Bezet.
Wadi Bayt Jann	The wadi begins Southeast of Bayt Jann, then it inclines toward the Northwest, and before it intersects Wadi al-Buqy'ah. After that it's known by Wadi Hbeis.
Wadi al-Buqy'ah	It originates from Jabal Haider, nearby Khirbat al-Sahleh, then it continues North passing into Khirbat al-Buqy'ah and Khirbat Ra's 'Abad just before it intersects Wadi Bayt Jann, at this point it's also known by al-Marj.
Wadi al-Qarn	At Khirbat Qarhata, the above two wadies intersects and from wadi al-Qarn. The wadi continues East passing through Khirbat al-Zawyah and Ra's al-Nabe'a (known to Zionists by 'Ein Keziv and Rosh Hamabua), then it inclines into a gorge, deep wadi, until it terminates 5 km South of the Lebanese borders. This wadi produces almost 7.5 million cubic meter per year. Wadi al-Qarn is known to Zionists by Nahal (meaning river) Keziv.
Wadi al-Sa'aleik	A winter wadi that originates at Ma'lya and it terminates South of al-Zeeb. This wadi is known to Zionists by Nahal Sha'al, and in Arabic it means The Wadi Of The Outlaws.
al-Kabri	Collection of springs named after the nearby destroyed Palestinian village of al-Kabri and their water supplied Wadi al-Mafshukh. During the rule of Ahmad Basha al-Jazzar (1775-1804), the springs' water was used to supply Acre with its drinking water. On average, these springs used to produces 9 million cubic meters aper year.
Wadi al-Mafshukh	This wadi begins South of Ma'lya, then it passes through the destroyed Palestinian villages of al-Nahr and Umm al-Faraj, and it terminates 10 km North of Acre (close to Zionist colony of Naharya). This wadi is known to Zionists by Enot Ga'aton or Nahal Oshrat.
Wadi Majnunah	The wadi is made up of another two unknown wadies (see the map) that intersect at 'Amqa, and it continues West to the sea passing by the al-Mazra'ah. This wadi is known to Zionists by Nahal Beit ha'Emek.
Wadi Ghamyah	The wadi begins at Yrka, then it passes through Jules, Jadida, and al-Makr then it terminates just north of Acre.
al-Na'amyn River	N/A
al-Muqtta' River	N/A
For map of wadies and rivers :- North of Acre South of Acre. Note that Nahal* in Hebrew means either a river or stream.*

Nearby Swamps

Swamp Name	Notes
al-Shachuttah	Located few kilometers East of the city, and its waters were supplied by al-Na'amyn's river winter waters. It covered an area between 2-3 square kilometers, and it had a depth of one meter.
Birkat al-Hamam	This small lake covered an area close to 20 square meters, and next to it a swamp that used to cover an area of 500 square meters.
'Ayn al-Baqarh	Located few kilometer West of the city, and its waters were fed from a nearby spring called 'Ayn al-Baqarh.

City size

In 1945, the city covered an area of 1,538 dunums, of which 52 dunums were allocated for roads and railroads, and Zionists owned only 6 dunums of the total city size.

Industries

Acre before occupation had industries in the following areas:
Glass, clay pottery, mirrors, mosaics, textile, paint, soft drinks (Sbins), grain mills, and a factory for ice making.

It should be noted that Acre's port and its regional importance had declined soon after the development of Haifa City and its port in the 1920s and 1930s. Since then Acre's industries, port, and khans has been cannibalized in favor of the newly developed Haifa City.

Since Israeli still maintains and enforces the "Law Of Absentees", most of Acre's industries, farms, buses, cars, railroads, cattle, real states, ... etc. have been looted and became the property of the "Jewish state". When similar injustices were perpetrated against Europe's Jewish citizens during WWII (by the Germans and the Swiss), the Jews of the world demanded justice for their looted art works and properties. The question which begs to be asked is :-

Are the Palestinian people entitled for compensation for their looted properties?

Distance from other towns

Town	Distance From Jaffa
Lebanese borders	17 km north
Naharya	10 km north
al-Na'amyn bridge	2 km south
Haifa	21 km via the lake shore drive and 17 km via the railroad
Tyre (Sour), Lebanon	40 km north

Population

Year	Total	Muslim Arabs	Christian Arabs	Jews
1900	6,000	N/A	N/A	N/A
1904	8,146	5,748	2,319	79
1908	9,279*	7,061	2,111	107
1912	12,000	9,000	3,000	N/A
1922	6,420	4,883	1,344	78
1931	7,897**	6,076	1,523	237
1938	8,800	N/A	N/A	250
1945	12,360	9,890	2,330	50
1949	4,020	3,146***	N/A	874
1950	9,000	3,800***	N/A	5,200
1965	31,700	3,000***	N/A	N/A
1970	N/A	4,000***	N/A	N/A

Soon after the development of Haifa city and its port in the 1920s and 1930s, Acre experience a drop in its population. See Haifa City for the proportional population increase for more details.
* In 1908, Acre had 1,000 houses, 6 mosques, 2 prisons, 5 churches, 166 warehouses, 13 coffee shops, and 415 shops.
** In 1931, Acre had 1,653 houses.
*** The statistic includes Christian Arabs as well.

Schools

School Type	Notes
Government	The government managed three schools: The 1st was a complete high school for boys, the 2nd was an elementary school for boys, and the 3rd was an elementary school for girls. In 1943, the boys' schools had a total enrollment of 660 boys and a staff of 19 instructors, and the girls' school had a total enrollment of 531 girls and a staff of 15 instructors.
Muslim	Altogether, Acre had 6 Islamic schools which all had an enrollment of 447 boys, and 121 girls, and a staff of 19 instructors.
Christian	Altogether, Acre had 4 Christian schools, which all had an enrollment of 309 boys and 190 girls.

City Khans

Khan Name	Notes
al-'Umdan	It was built by the Ahmad Basha al-Jazzar which is located next to the main port, and sometimes it was known by Khan al-Jazzar. Its marble columns were cannibalized from the archeological ruins nearby Qisarya, and in 1900 a big clock tower was erected at its entrance to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sultan Abdul Hameid II rise to power. Currently, this Khan is being used as a night club.
al-Shuna	Located next to Khan al-'Umdan which was built during the rule of al-Thahir al-'Umar.
al-Frunj	One of the oldest Khans in Acre. Originally, it was built by European merchants to store their goods during the Ottoman period.
al-Shawardeh	Located next to Burj al-Sultan and it was built during the Crusaders period.

City neighborhoods

Acre was made up of the following neighborhoods and public places:

al-Jazzar, al-Majdala, al-Meina (port), al-Raml, al-Qal'a, Central Prison (also known by the Lawman), al-Suq al-Abyyad (The White Market), Burj al-Commander, Burj al-Sultan, al-Fakhura, al-Karkun Square, Dar al-Asliha, new Acre was built just outside the city walls, ... etc.

Click here, for a detail map of Acre's neighborhood before occupation.

Mosques

Mosque Name	Notes
al-Jazzar	The renowned al-Jazzar Mosque was built in 1781 and it still contains the tomb of its builder Ahmad Basha al-Jazzar (the butcher who defeated Napoleon).
al-Raml	Located nearby al-Suq al-Sharqi (The Eastern Market).
al-Mu'alaq	Located nearby the Karkun square, which was famous for its gardens and high ceiling.
Abu Sinan	Also known by al-Jaryaneh and it is located nearby Acre's old port. Currently, the mosque and its beautiful gardens are in a state of neglect.
al-Zytun	Located in al-Zytun neighborhood.
al-Majadleh	Built at the end of the British Mandate period, and now it's being used as soup kitchen for the poor.
al-Lababiedi	The only mosque outside of the city walls which was built before occupation. Currently, the mosque is in a state of neglect and in need of serious renovation!

Churches

Church Name	Notes
Saint Andrews	Roman Catholic church located in al-Fakhura neighborhood, which was built on the foundation of a Crusader's church .
Saint Johns	Roman Catholic church located in al-Fakhura neighborhood, which was built by Franciscan monks in 1737.
Saint George	Greek Orthodox church located next to al-Jazzar mosque.
Saint Francis	Latin church located next to Khan al-Frunj.
Mar Jerjiss	It's the largest and most prominent church in Acre where most Christian festivals used to be celebrated.

Shrines/Maqams

Maqam Name	Notes
al-Shaykh Ghanim	It's a beautiful maqam which was built for one of Salaheddin al-Ayubi commanders who fought the Crusades. It's located next to Southeaster city wall, and during the 1948 war it was used as the burial place for several Palestinian martyrs like Saleh al-Dukhi.
'Izz al-Deen	It's a maqam which was built for one of Salaheddin's commanders who fought the Crusaders. It's located on Eastern coast, just outside old city, and now it's being used as a center for new Jewish immigrants.
Abu 'Atbah	Located just outside the city, and it's suspected to belong to a person who fought the Crusaders as well.
al-Shaykh Yanis	Located nearby the northern entrance of al-Jazzar Mosque. Its garden has been demolished, and it's currently being used as parking space for Taxis.
al-Nabi Saleh	A shrine dedicated to the Arab prophet Saleh (who has been buried west of al-Ramla), and it's located in the current official city cemetery, just outside the eastern city wall.
Zawyet al-Shathliyyah	It belongs to Tariqat al-Shathliyyah which was founded by Ali Nur al-Deen al-Yashertie, and it includes a palace known by Saraya Abdullah Basha.

City's income and expenses

Year	Income*	Expenses*
1927	5,154	3,322
1932	4,909	9,194
1935	8,300	6,400
1939	4,083	4,377
1940	11,328	6,668
1943	9,750	10,555
1944	15,153	12,078

* In Palestinian Pound

Rainfall and humidity

Year	Rainfall*	Humidity
1926	675.9	N/A
1927	608.3	N/A
1928	514.7	N/A
1929	786.6	N/A
1930	677.6	N/A
1931	570	N/A
1932	426.9	N/A
1933	347.3	N/A
1934	477	N/A
1935	784	N/A
1936	469.4	N/A
1937	466	N/A
1938	837.2	N/A
1939	511.2	69%
1940	599.4	63%
1941	523.4	68%
1942	328.2	67%
1943	780.6	72%
1944	443.1	69%

* In millimeters

Average temperature

Month/1944	Average*	Average Hi*	Average Low*
January	12.9	17.1	8.8
February	14.3	19.3	9.2
March	16.2	21.6	10.7
April	18.7	24.5	12.9
May	19.3	23.9	14.8
June	23.2	27.8	18.5
July	25.6	29.6	21.6
August	25.7	30	21.4
September	24.3	28.9	19.8
October	22.8	28.1	17.5
November	18.4	22.9	14
December	14.7	18.6	10.9
Overall Avg.	19.7	24.4	15
* In centigrade. For conversion purposes, temperature of 24 centigrade = 75 fahrenheit.

Fishing industry

Season	Quantity in Tons	Worth in Palestinian Pound
1925	44	3,033
1925-1926	42	2,292
1927-1928	48	3,269
1928-1929	48	2,729
1929-1930	37	3,227
1933-1934	61	3,486
1934-1935	65	3,167
1935-1936	79	3,686
1936-1937	45	2,085
1937-1938*	53	2,555
1938-1939	60	3,115
1939-1940	66	3,852
1940-1941	69	3,982
1941-1942	51	4,515
1942-1943	30	6,790
1943-1944	59	18,520
1944-1945	53	18,000

* Palestine's total fishing for this year was 1,699 tons.
Note: All fishing in the Haifa area was Palestinian owned and operated.

Town Today

N/A

Bibliography

Our primary sources for the above data was Biladuna Filisteen (2nd set, volume 7) by Mustafa Murad al-Dabagh and The Palestine Encyclopedia.

/PalGates/aka/aka_city.htm

Videos

All that remains of Akka District's mosques Duration: 45 min
Acre Video

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Stories and Memories

Pictures

Aerial view of Acre (Akka in arabic) looking north

Aerial view of Acre looking west

Aerial view of Acre looking north 2

Acre's historic prison

The Old City

al-Meina Mosque

al-Meina Mosque #2

General view of Acre's port & its mosques

A unique picture for Akka's (Acre's) Palestinian residents as they were bing pushed into the sea, extracted from Nakba-Archive.org

General view of Acre's port

General view of Acre's port at night

One of Acre's mosques

Khan al-'Umdan from the inside. 1990s

Khan al-'Umdan from the inside & its famous Abdul Hamid's tower, 1990s

Sultan Abdel Hamid Tower located in Khan al-Umdan

Acre old city streets & coffee shops

Acre old city sea wall

One of Acre's old Khans

An aerial view of Acre looking West

Click Here For More Acre Pictures

Related Town Links

Message Board

Topic	Replies Count
Posted by Webmaster on FEBRUARY-17-2008 Will you accept a new homeland & compensation instead of Palestine and you right of return? هل تقبل التوطين والتعويض بديل عن الوطن وحق العودة؟	0
Posted by Webmaster on FEBRUARY-17-2008 Specific Board for Prisoners- صفحة مخصصة لأخبار الأسرى	0
Posted by Webmaster on JULY-2-2006 Last reply posted on FEBRUARY-4-2007 Obituaries Announcements Board -صفحة الوفيات	2
Posted by Webmaster on JULY-2-2006 Last reply posted on MARCH-30-2007 Graduation Announcements Board - صفحة مناسبات التخرج	1
Posted by Webmaster on JULY-2-2006 Marriage Announcements Board - صفحة مناسبات الزواج	0
Posted by Webmaster on MAY-7-2001 Last reply posted on OCTOBER-30-2001 Sign Acre's Guest Book - سجل الزوار	64

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411 Directory Service

To contact any of the below members, simply click on the names.

Display Name	Clan/Hamolah	Country of Residence
العاشق alashik	alashik	UAE DUBAI
Ghassan	-	LEBANON
Yehia Agha	Agha	AUSTRALIA
Shakawaty	-	ACRE
Zuher	Fakeer	-------------------------, LEBANON
Zuher	Fakeer	TYR, LEBANON
Motaz	Bayaa	DOHA, QATAR
Mohamad Haddad	Haddad	ABUDHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Amnah	Said	IL, USA
Ayah Said	Said	IL, USA
Dalal Dayfallah	-	MI, UNITED STATES
Hisham Wahib	-	-
Mustafa	Baitam	AMMAN, JORDAN
Adel Salameh	Salameh	SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
Mohammad Dalal	-	-
Ibrahim	El-youssef	NIEDERSACHSEN, GERMANY
Palestinio	Mansour	ABU DHABI, UNTED ARAB EMIRATES
Ribhi Deifallah	-	ONTARIO, CANADA
THE STORM	-	-
جمالصالح ابو فرحة	-	-
Zuhair Shehadeh	-	AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
Chikhkhalil	Chikh khalil	DAMASCUS, DAMASCUS
Angela Francis	-	TEXAS, USA
Mohammed Arrabi	Arrabi	RYADH, RYADH
Abed Arrabi	Arrabi	UAE, UAE
Hussam Arrabi	-	-
Daoud Sa'oud	-	OH, UNITED STATES
Haytham G. Zeidan	Zeidan	TULKARM, PALESTINE
Zeina Abu-Meita	-	ALBERTA, CANADA
AbdulRahman Al-Arrabi	-	-
Engineer	-	-
Alexandre Khawam	Al Khawam	-
Tareq Fatayerji	-	SAUDI ARABIA
Omar Sbeit	Sbeit	-
Ahmed Al-Akki	Al-Akki	RIYADH 11416, SAUDI ARABIA
Abdullah	-	MALMض KOMMUN, SWEDEN
Hanna Francis	Francis	TX, USA
Ehab yi7ya 7beshe	Yihya	ACRE, SWEDEN
Salem	Al-Hussain	ALBERTA, CANADA
El-Sadi	El-Sadi	-
Dina Mahmoud	Barghouty	-
Mohamed Fakir	Fakir	QUEBEC, CANADA
Dr. Najib Fatayerji	-	ABU DHABI, U. A .E
Akka48	Lahham	SYRIA, SYRIA
ZAKARIA EL-HINDY	-	-
Mohammad Dayfallah	-	QUEBEC, CANADA
Hani Saadi	-	MICHIGAN, USA
Maher Bitar	-	QUEBEC, CANADA
Marwan Mayassi	-	-
Bassam Himmo	Himmo	SAIDA, LEBANON
John Doumani	Doumani/Doany	AZ, USA
Rami Killisly	Killisly	ONTARIO, CANADA
OSAMA MALAK	-	TEXAS, USA
Mohamad Fadda	-	BEIRUT, LEBANON
Salam	Kitmitto	TORONTO, CANADA
Wassim rustom	Rustom	DERNA, LIBYA
Luay rustom	Rustom	SAIDA, LEBANON
Muhammad from PALESTINE	Qasim	BEDFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM
Paolo	-	ACRE , GALELEE (ARAB48)
Rowida Hobishe	Hobishe	BEIRUT, LEBANON
Mohamed 3kawee	ALBAYA'A	-
Um Ahmad	Sirriya	-
Zeina	-	MONTREAL,CANADA
Bassem73	-	CAIRO, EGYPT
Mustafa Bayaa	-	ONTARIO, CANADA
Akkawi	-	U.A.E., U.A.E.
George KHAWAM	Al -Khawam	PARIS, FRANCE
Bassam Hobaishy	Hobaishy	BEIRUT, LEBANON
Walid Bilalli	-	LEBANON
ECK	Cheikh Khalil	NORTH LEBANON, LEBANON
Amer Ibrahim EL-Kerdi	AL-Kurdi	BERNE, SWITZERLAND
Fadda	-	BEIRUT, LEBANON
Fawzy Abdulhamid	-	AMMAN
Malake Abu Hmeid	-	-
Abdul Rahman Arab	-	-
ASSA'D SHUKAIRY	AL-SHUKAIRY	SAUDI ARABIA, SAUDI ARABIA
Toufic Hawwa	Hawwa	AUSTRALIA

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