The Mediterranean Coast
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A TASTE OF ISRAEL
The Mediterranean Coast
The Mediterranean coast runs from the white cliffs of Rosh Hanikra at the Lebanese border south to Herzliya, taking in the Carmel ridge, the port cities of Akko and Haifa, Herod's harbor at Caesarea, and the Crusader ruins at Apollonia. Border communities in the far north were evacuated after rocket and missile fire from Lebanon began in October 2023. Near Netanya the country was only about 15 kilometers wide before 1967, which has
shaped its security thinking ever since.
Mediterranean Sea
Sea of Galilee
Rosh Hanikra
Where the sea meets the cliffs
Rosh Hanikra is a chalk cliff on the Mediterranean at Israel's border with Lebanon, where the sea has carved caves and grottos into the rock. A short, steep cable car carries visitors down to the grottos. British forces built a railway tunnel here in 1942, during World War II, to link Haifa with Beirut and Tripoli, and the line was closed in 1948. The site lies in an area that has been under fire from Lebanon since October 2023, and the cable car and grottos have been closed at times, so visitors should check current conditions.
Glossary: Rosh Hanikra
Akko
A Crusader stronghold and Ottoman gem
Akko, or Acre, is an ancient port on the northern edge of Haifa Bay. Its old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, preserves the Crusader capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, with underground halls of the Knights Hospitaller, and Ottoman-era walls, mosques, and a covered market. Napoleon failed to take the city in 1799, after a siege of about two months. Today Akko has a mixed population of Arabs and Jews, a working fishing harbor, and restaurants known for fresh fish.
Glossary: Akko (Acre)
Haifa
A city of coexistence and innovation
Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, climbs the slopes of Mount Carmel above a large natural bay and a major port. It is known for its relatively easy relations among Jewish, Arab, Christian, Muslim, Druze, and Bahá'í residents, and for the Technion, Israel's institute of technology. The Bahá'í Gardens, nineteen terraces descending the mountain around the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb, are a UNESCO World Heritage site. The German Colony at the foot of the hill was built by Templers in the 19th century and now holds restaurants and cafes.
Glossary: Haifa
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A TASTE OF ISRAEL
T H E M E D I T E R R A N E A N COA ST, CO N T I N U E D
Mount Carmel
Biblical history and natural beauty
Mount Carmel is a coastal mountain ridge that rises beside Haifa. In the Book of Kings, the prophet Elijah challenged the priests of Baal here to prove whose god was true, and fire from heaven consumed his offering (1 Kings 18). The Muhraka Carmelite monastery commemorates the event, and its roof offers a wide view of the Jezreel Valley. The Carmel National Park has trails through oak woods, and the caves of Nahal Me'arot, where prehistoric human remains were found, are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Glossary: Mount Carmel
Atlit
A detention camp and a daring rescue
Atlit, south of Haifa, is the site of a British detention camp used from 1939 to 1948 to hold Jews who tried to enter Mandate Palestine without permits. Many were survivors of the Holocaust. In October 1945 the Palmach raided the camp at night and freed about 200 detainees. The preserved barracks and a refitted immigrant ship are now a museum. Leon Uris set part of his novel Exodus here, and the camp has become a symbol of the struggle over Jewish immigration under the British Mandate.
Glossary: Atlit
Caesarea
Roman splendor on the sea
Caesarea was built by Herod the Great between 25 and 13 BCE and named for the Roman emperor Augustus. Its artificial harbor, a feat of ancient engineering, made it the main port of Judea, and under Roman rule it was the seat of the provincial governor, Pontius Pilate among them. Visitors can see a Roman theater that hosts concerts again, a hippodrome, and an aqueduct that carried water from springs miles away. Crusaders later fortified the town, and their walls and moat stand beside the harbor.
Glossary: Caesarea
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A TASTE OF ISRAEL
T H E M E D I T E R R A N E A N COA ST, CO N T I N U E D
Netanya
Seaside city of relaxation and resilience
Netanya, on the central coast, was founded in 1929 and named for the American Jewish philanthropist Nathan Straus. It grew with waves of immigrants, and its beaches and seaside promenade made it a popular resort, sometimes called the Israeli Riviera, with many French and Russian speakers among its residents. On March 27, 2002, a suicide bomber killed 30 people at a Passover seder at the Park Hotel, one of the deadliest attacks of the Second Intifada. The city has since been rebuilt and the hotel restored.
Glossary: Netanya
Apollonia
Cliffs, Crusaders, and Phoenician roots
Apollonia-Arsuf, on a sandstone cliff north of Herzliya, was a harbor in the Phoenician and Persian periods before the Greeks named it for Apollo. The Arabs called it Arsuf, a name the Crusaders kept. In 1191 Richard the Lionheart defeated Saladin in the Battle of Arsuf nearby. The Crusaders fortified the town, but the Mamluk sultan Baybars destroyed it in 1265. The national park preserves the castle and moat, a Roman villa, and sweeping views of the sea.
Glossary: Apollonia (Arsuf)
Herzliya
The heart of Israel's Silicon Wadi
Herzliya, named for Theodor Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, was founded in 1924 and grew from a farming village into one of Israel's wealthiest cities. Its Herzliya Pituach district is home to many technology and biotech companies, and the area is sometimes called Silicon Wadi. A marina, beaches, and luxury hotels line the coast. Herzl's slogan, "If you will it, it is no dream," gives the city a motto for ambitious plans. The annual Herzliya Conference is an important gathering on Israeli security and policy.
Glossary: Herzliya
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