מנהרת הטמפלרים

Templar Tunnel


Useful Information

Location: Asher St 37, Acre.
About 40 minutes bus ride from Haifa. Southwestern part of the Old City, below Pisan quarter. Port side entrance on Haganah Street, near the Uri Buri restaurant.
(32.919929, 35.068508)
Open: APR to 14-OCT Mon-Thu 9:30-17:30, Fri 9:30-16, Sun, Hol Eve 9:30-17:30.
15-OCT to MAR Mon-Thu 9:30-17, Fri 9:30-16, Sun, Hol Eve 9:30-17.
Last entry 1 h before closing.
[2024]
Fee: Combo Ticket: Adults ILS 49.
[2024]
Classification:  
Light:  
Dimension: L=150 m.
Guided tours:  
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography:  
Address: Old Acre Visitors Center, Enchanted Garden, Asher St 37, Acre, Tel: 1-700-70-80-20, Fax: +972-4-9813651.
Old Akko Development Company 1 Weizmann St., Akko, Tel: +972-4-9956706, Tel: +972-4-9956707. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

12th century members of the Templar Order began building their quarter.
1291 city destroyed by the Mamluks, end of Crusader rule.
1994 Templars' Tunnel rediscovered.
SEP-1999 western section of the Templars' Tunnel opened to the public.
2001 inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
2007 entire length of the tunnel opened to the public.

Description

The מנהרת הטמפלרים (Templar Tunnel) was built by crusaders, the Templar Knights, also known as the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon. These Templars were a military-monastic order, which was established in Jerusalem during the Crusade era, specifically to ensure the pilgrims' protection. They first settled on the Temple Mount at Jerusalem, acted as guardians of the Temple, so they were named “the Templars”. But in 1187 Salah Al-Din conquered Jerusalem, and the Templars fled to Akko. Subsequently, they built their quarter in the southwestern part of Akko, protected by nearly 10 m thick walls and massive towers. The tunnel extends 150 m from the Templar’s fortress in the west to the city’s port in the east. It crosses the Pisan quarter underground, and served as a strategic underground passageway. The lower part of the tunnel was carved from natural stone, and its upper part was built from hewn stones and covered by a semi-barreled dome.

The remains of the first Templar’s fortress are today covered by the sea. The tunnel is located under Pisan quarter, but it was filled with debris for centuries, until it was rediscovered in 1994. Today, with changed sea level and geography, the tunnel is below groundwater. To maintain a fixed water level, a special water pumping system had to be installed. A wooden walkway was constructed above the water so that when visitors walk they can see the water on both sides. The water is part of the groundwater body, not salt water from the nearby Mediterranean Sea as one might expect.

When the Crusader rule ended, the city destroyed by the Mamluks, and the tunnel was filled in. It was rediscovered in 1994, and Akko Development Company renovated the tunnel and opened it to the public. This happened in two steps, in August 1999 the western section was opened to the public, from 2007 the entire length of the tunnel was open to the public. And there are two more shorter tunnels at the eastern end.