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"Haifa"

The Largest City in Northern Israel

Wednesday, ‎December ‎25, ‎2013

Fifth Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

"Haifa"

The Largest City in Northern Israel

Bahai hanging Gardens, Haifa, Northern Israel:

Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 291,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including Daliyat al-Karmel, the Krayot, Nesher, Tirat Carmel, and some Kibbuzim. Together these areas form a contiguous urban area home to nearly 600,000 residents which makes up the inner core of the Haifa metropolitan area. It is also home to the Bahá'í World Centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the way to Haifa from Caesarea:

Built on the slopes of Mount Carmel, the history of settlement at the site spans more than 3,000 years. The earliest known settlement in the vicinity was Tell Abu Hawam, a small port city established in the Late Bronze Age (14th century BCE). In the 3rd century CE, Haifa was known as a dye-making center. Over the centuries, the city has changed hands; it has been conquered and ruled by the Phoenicians, Persians, Hasmoneans, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, Britain, and Israelis. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948; the city has been governed by the Haifa Municipality.

On the way to Haifa from Caesarea:

Today, the city is a major seaport located on Israel's Mediterranean coastline in the Bay of Haifa covering 63.7 square kilometers (24.6 sq mi). It is located about 90 kilometers (56 mi) north of Tel Aviv and is the major regional center of northern Israel. Two respected academic institutions, the University of Haifa and the Technion, are located in Haifa, and the city plays an important role in Israel's economy. It is home to Matam, one of the oldest and largest high-tech parks in the country. Haifa Bay is a center of heavy industry, petroleum refining and chemical processing. Haifa was formerly the western terminus of an oil pipeline from Iraq via Jordan.

Israeli Army head quarters on the way to Haifa, Israel: 

The earliest named settlement within the domain of modern-day Haifa was a city known as Sycaminum. The Arabic “Tell el-Semak” ("mound of the fish") preserved and transformed this ancient name, with locals using it to refer to a coastal tell at the foot of the Carmel Mountains that contains its remains. In Hebrew, it is known as Tel Shiqmona or Shikmonah. Shiqmona is mentioned once in the Mishnah for the wild fruits that grow around it.

Carmel Beach Hotel, David Elazar Street, Haifa, Israel:

The name Efa first appears during Roman rule, sometime after the end of the 1st century, when a Roman fortress and small Jewish settlement were established not far from Tell es-Samak. Haifa is also mentioned more than 100 times in the Talmud, a book central to Judaism. Hefa or Hepha in Eusebius of Caesarea's 4th-century work, Onomasticon, is said to be another name for Sycaminus. This synonymizing of the names is explained by Moshe Sharon who writes that the twin ancient settlements, which he calls Haifa-Sycaminon, gradually expanded into one another, becoming a twin city known by the Greek names Sycaminon or Sycaminos Polis. References to this city end with the Byzantine period.

Street beside the Mediterranean Sea, Haifa, the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, Israel:

Around the 6th century, Porphyreon or Porphyrea is mentioned in the writings of William of Tyre, and while it lies within the area covered by modern Haifa, it was a settlement situated south of Haifa-Sycaminon.

Following the Arab conquest in the 7th century, Haifa was used to refer to a site established on Tell es-Samak upon what were already the ruins of Sycaminon (Shiqmona) Haifa (or Haifah) is mentioned by the mid-11th-century Persian chronicler Nasir Khusraw, and the 12th- and 13th-century Arab chroniclers, Muhammad al-Idrisi and Yaqut al-Hamawi.

The tallest building in the view is The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, a medical school that operates in Bat Galim neighborhood, Haifa Israel:

The Crusaders, who captured Haifa briefly in the 12th century, call it Caiphas, and believe its name related to Cephas, the Greek name of Simon Peter. Eusebius is also said to have referred to Hefa as Caiaphas civitas, and Benjamin of Tudela, the 12th-century Jewish traveler and chronicler, is said to have attributed the city's founding to Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest at the time of Jesus.

The tallest building in the view is The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, a medical school that operates in Bat Galim neighborhood, Haifa Israel: 

Haifa al-'Atiqa (Arabic: "Ancient Haifa") is another name used by locals to refer to Tell es-Samak, as it was the site of Haifa when it was a hamlet of 250 residents, before it was moved in 1764-5 to a new fortified site founded by Daher el-Omar 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) to the east. The new village, the nucleus of modern Haifa, was originally named al-imara al-jadida (Arabic: "the new construction"), but locals called it Haifa al-Jadida (Arabic: "New Haifa") at first, and then simply Haifa. 

Bat Galim neighborhood, Haifa Israel: 

In early 20th century Haifa al 'Atiqa was repopulated as a predominantly Arab Christian neighborhood as it expanded outward from its new location.

The ultimate origin of the name Haifa remains unclear. One theory holds it derives from the name of the high priest Caiaphas. Some Christians believe it was named for Saint Peter, whose Aramaic name was Keiphah. Another theory holds it could be derived from the Hebrew verb root (hafa), meaning to cover or shield, i.e. Mount Carmel covers Haifa; others point to a possible origin in the Hebrew word חו (hof), meaning shore, or (hof yafe), meaning beautiful shore.

Bahai, Haifa Israel:

A small port city known today as Tell Abu Hawam was established Late Bronze age (14th century BCE) during the 6th century BCE, Greek geographer Scylax told of a city "between the bay and the Promontory of Zeus" (the Carmel) which may be a reference to Shikmona, a locality in the Haifa area, during the Persian period. By Hellenistic times, the city had moved to a new site south of what is now Bat Galim because the port's harbour had become blocked with sand. About the 3rd century CE, the city was first mentioned in Talmudic literature, as a Jewish fishing village and the home of Rabbi Avdimi and other Jewish scholars. A Greek-speaking population living along the coast at this time was engaged in commerce.

Shore of Mediterranean Sea, Bat Galim neighborhood, Haifa, Israel:

Haifa was located near the town of Shikmona, a center for making the traditional Tekhelet dye used in the garments of the high priests in the Temple. The archaeological site of Shikmona is southwest of Bat Galim. Mount Carmel and the Kishon River are also mentioned in the Bible. A grotto on the top of Mount Carmel is known as the "Cave of Elijah", traditionally linked to the Prophet Elijah and his apprentice, Elisha. In Arabic, the highest peak of the Carmel range is called the Muhraka, or "place of burning," harking back to the burnt offerings and sacrifices there in Canaanite and early Israelite times

Near the Bahai hanging Gardens, Haifa, Israel:

Early Haifa is believed to have occupied the area which extends from the present-day Rambam Hospital to the Jewish Cemetery on Yafo Street. The inhabitants engaged in fishing and agriculture.

Under Byzantine rule, Haifa continued to grow but did not assume major importance. Following the Arab conquest of Palestine in the 630s-40s, Haifa was largely overlooked in favor of the port city of 'Akka. Under the Rashidun Caliphate, Haifa began to develop. In the 9th century under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, Haifa established trading relations with Egyptianports and the city featured several shipyards. The inhabitants, Arabs and Jews, engaged in trade and maritime commerce. Glass production and dye-making from marine snails were the city's most lucrative industries.

The Terraces of the Bahá'í Faith, also known as the Hanging Gardens of Haifa, are garden terraces around the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. They are one of the most visited tourist attractions in Israel. The architect is Fariborz Sahba from Iran; the structural engineers are Karban and Co. from Haifa. Along with the Baha'i Holy Places in Western Galilee, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In front of the Bahai hanging Gardens, Haifa, Israel: 

The terraces represent the first eighteen disciples of the Báb, who were designated "Letter of the Living", although no individual terraces are connected with individual Letters.

Nine concentric circles provide the main geometry of the eighteen terraces. Just as the identification of a circle presupposes a center, so the terraces have been conceived as generated from the Shrine of the Báb. The eighteen terraces plus the one terrace of the Shrine of the Báb make nineteen terraces total. Nineteen is a significant number within both the Bahá'í and Bábí religions.

In front of the Bahai hanging Gardens, Haifa, Israel:  

Fariborz Sahba began work in 1987 designing the gardens and oversaw construction. The terraces were opened to the public in June 2001. Beginning at its base, the gardens extend almost a kilometer up the side of Mount Carmel, covering some 200,000 square meters of land. The gardens are linked by a set of stairs flanked by twin streams of running water cascading down the mountainside through the steps and terrace bridges.

In front of the Bahai hanging Gardens, Haifa, Israel: 

The gardens have elements of the Persian paradise gardens, isolating the site from the noise of the surroundings and connecting the different Bahá'í buildings on Mount Carmel together.

In front of the Bahai hanging Gardens, Haifa, Israel:  

The irrigation system includes a computer which, based on meteorological data it receives, controls hundreds of valves to distribute water throughout the gardens by sprinkling and dripping. This is done at night and in the early morning, to avoid wasting water by evaporation. The water that flows alongside the stairs is circulating in a closed system within each terrace, so that little water is wasted.

The Wonderful Bahai hanging Gardens, Haifa, Israel:  

After the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948, Haifa became the gateway for Jewish immigration into Israel. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the neighborhoods of Haifa were sometimes contested. After the war, Jewish immigrants were settled in new neighborhoods, among them Kiryat Hayim, Ramot Remez, Ramat Shaul, Kiryat Sprinzak, and Kiryat Eliezer. Bnei Zion Hospital (formerly Rothschild Hospital) and the Central Synagogue in Hadar Hacarmel date from this period. In 1953, a master plan was created for transportation and the future architectural layout.

The Wonderful Bahai hanging Gardens, Haifa, Israel: 

In 1959, a group of Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, mostly Moroccan Jews, rioted in Wadi Salib, claiming the state was discriminating against them. Their demand for “bread and work” was directed at the state institutions and what they viewed as Ashkenazi elite in the Labor Party and the Histadrut.

Bahai, Haifa, Israel:

Tel Aviv gained in status, while Haifa suffered a decline in the role as regional capital. The opening of Ashdod as a port exacerbated this. Tourism shrank when the Israeli Ministry of Tourism placed emphasis on developing Tiberius as a tourist Centre.

Bahai, Haifa, Israel:

Nevertheless, Haifa's population had reached 200,000 by the early 1970s, and mass immigration from the former Soviet Union boosted the population by a further 35,000.

Many of Wadi Salib's historic Ottoman buildings have now been demolished, and in the 1990s a major section of the Old City was razed to make way for a new municipal center.

The Sail Tower, 36 Independence Road, Feisel Square, Haifa, Israel:

From 1999 to 2003, several Palestinian suicide attacks took place in Haifa (in Maxim and Matza restaurants, bus 37, and others), killing 68 civilians. In 2006, Haifa was hit by 93 Hezbollah rockets during the Second Lebanon War, killing 11 civilians and leading to half of the city's population fleeing at the end of the first week of the war. Among the places hit by rockets were a train depot and the oil refinery complex.

The Sail Tower, 36 Independence Road, Feisel Square, Haifa, Israel:

Haifa is situated on the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain, the historic land bridge between Europe, Africa, and Asia. Located on the northern slopes of Mount Carmel and around Haifa Bay, the city is split over three tiers. The lowest is the center of commerce and industry including the Port of Haifa. The middle level is on the slopes of Mount Carmel and consists of older residential neighborhoods, while the upper level consists of modern neighborhoods looking over the lower tiers. From here views can be had across the Western Galilee region of Israel towards Rosh Ha Nikra and the Lebanese border. Haifa is about 90 kilometers (55.9 mi) north of the city of Tel Aviv, and has a large number of beaches on the Mediterranean.

Haifa, Israel: 

The Carmel Mountain has three main wadis: Lotem, Amik and Si’ach. For the most part these valleys are undeveloped natural corridors that run up through the city from the coast to the top of the mountain. Marked hiking paths traverse these areas and they provide habitat for wildlife such as wild boar, golden jackal, hyrax, Egyptian mongoose, owls and chameleons.

Haifa has developed in tiers, from the lower to the upper city on the Carmel. The oldest neighborhood in the modern Haifa is Wadi Salib, the Old City center near the port, which has been bisected by a major road and razed in part to make way for government buildings. Wadi Salib stretches across toWadi Nisnas, the center of Arab life in Haifa today. In the 19th century, under Ottoman rule, the German Colony was built, providing the first model ofurban planning in Haifa. Some of the buildings have been restored and the colony has turned into a center of Haifa nightlife.