The Acre Paradox: How Burying an Entire City Saved It from Death?

Did you know that beneath your feet, as you wander through the Ottoman alleyways of Acre (Akko), lies another entire city—a "Medieval New York"—frozen in time? Acre is not just another ancient city; it is a rare global anomaly: two complete cities built one atop the other in perfect vertical alignment. Below lies the Gothic Crusader metropolis of the 13th century, the capital of the Second Kingdom of Jerusalem. Above it stands the fortified 18th-century city built by Dhaher al-Omar and Ahmad al-Jazzar. Yet, the truly incredible story is not merely the existence of these two cities, but the ingenious—and ruthless—engineering decision that connected them.

In the 18th century, the Ottoman ruler Ahmad al-Jazzar Pasha sought to build a mighty citadel and palace that would rival the splendor of Damascus and Istanbul. He faced a dilemma: the massive Crusader ruins stood in his way, but clearing them would require immense effort. Al-Jazzar's engineers devised a pragmatic and brilliant solution: instead of demolishing the colossal Crusader halls or attempting to restore them, they simply filled them in. Thousands of tons of earth, sand, and building debris were compacted into the "Hall of Pillars," the Refectorium, and the Templar Tunnel. This fill created a stable, solid platform (podium) upon which the new Ottoman city was constructed. Thus, Acre’s famous citadel and prison were effectively built on the backs of the knights of the past.

The historical irony is that this very act of "burial" is what saved Crusader Acre from oblivion. The compressed fill created static support that prevented the ancient vaults from collapsing during earthquakes. More importantly, it created an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment. In absolute darkness, buried beneath the soil, the medieval stone was preserved perfectly, shielded from wind, humidity, and the ravages of time. While other ancient cities were plundered for building stones, Acre’s architectural treasures were kept as a time capsule in the belly of the earth, awaiting discovery centuries later.

The greatest test of this "layered city" came in the spring of 1799, when Napoleon Bonaparte laid siege to its walls. The undefeated French general faced fortifications reinforced in real-time by his former schoolmate and rival, the engineer Phélippeaux, and by Al-Jazzar’s legendary Jewish advisor, Haim Farhi. Napoleon's failure to breach the walls of Acre not only changed the face of the Middle East but also proved the strength of the fortified city built upon the foundations of the past. The collaboration between the British Royal Navy, Al-Jazzar's determination, and Farhi's wisdom—combined with the formidable fortifications—shattered Napoleon's dream of conquering the East.

Today, as UNESCO recognizes Acre as a World Heritage Site, we witness a marvel of conservation engineering. Thanks to modern technology, the earth that protected the Crusader city has been removed, allowing us to walk through the cool Knights' Halls while the Ottoman city continues to "hover" and live above us. Acre teaches us a fascinating lesson about history: sometimes, to remember and preserve the past, one must know how to build upon it, layer by layer, in a complex symbiosis of destruction and rebirth.

Image: The Refectorium with its cross-vaulted ceiling, The Knights' Halls, Acre.