is down again to resort again to the coast to Akko the Acre of the Crusaders. As usual, the goal was ambitious, a long list of things to see. On a spit of land right on the beachfront, the fortified citadel, a World Heritage Site, has a long history and tells it with ease and discretion: no Western fashion boutiques, souvenir or futuristic restoration, its old houses are simple houses for families, the streets and the market for the people, the port for fishermen. Akko (apparently from the ancient greek "ake" strip of land) if it has news from Egyptian texts of the nineteenth century before the Christian era, its port has seen ships come ashore from Genoa, Amalfi, Pisa and Venice over the centuries have visited Alexander the Great, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamelukes who, as usual, they destroyed everything on their arrival. The city remained Ottoman until the British mandate in Palestine. The fulcrum of revolt against the progressive Jewish immigration in the years to fight the independence of Israel, the citadel within the walls, beautiful, has kept its Arab population, while the Israeli side has developed outside the east fortifications ..
had to visit the ancient hammam turkish El Pacha, the caravanserai, a stretch of South Street artery for Christian pilgrims who came to the Holy Land recently discovered deep in the belly of the earth and above the underground city of the crusaders , with salt Knight, in a distant headquarters of strategic meetings and very little religious soldiers.
Well, revolutionized the program, all these places were closed, access to the citadel itself was closed. The service was very well organized, we left the car in a parking lot in suburbs and we slipped into a shuttle bus filled to capacity with people in the party that led to the gates of the fortifications. Unbelievable crowd, people came from other places, the Feast of course all the other Arab towns in Israel, lucky mom to be there in the middle, Gaston had struck again! It was the feast of Eid al Adha , four days of prayer and partying together at the end of Ramadan, for Muslims the two most important religious festivals of the year.
Eid al Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice celebrated throughout the Muslim world to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to the Almighty. As you know, the last time you see the ram, and this will be the object of the sacrifice, not his son.
The festivities usually begin after the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. It usually sacrifice a cow or a goat or a sheep or a camel and religious observance requires that the meat is divided into three parts, one third for the family, third to the relatives and friends and to third the poor and needy. Fortunately, the days of animal sacrifice was to earlier, so we have not seen. For the Jewish tradition is a matter of Isaac instead of Ishmael and the practice of animal sacrifice ended with the destruction of the Temple.
great festival atmosphere of the country, the streets crowded and noisy, some even on rooftops to enjoy the show, many gigs with children and families for a walk the alleys, the men just to look at the bar smoking a hookah, the rides, the seller of powdered sugar, Gaston makes a close contact with a snake that is a very nice gentleman generously offered to place the neck of all.
Fortunately, at the end of the prayers we could visit the central mosque El Djezzar end of 1700 in a typically Ottoman Empire. I love the ancient mosques inside are always essential, empty, but with beautiful decorations, carpets, some minarets off that challenge sky, the quiet courtyards.
Acre, a beautiful joyful atmosphere, a festive city, I was always possible ... ... in Israel.
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