The Haifa Project From the Carmel to the

The Haifa Project From the Carmel to the sea

"The Holy Cliff". This is how Mount Carmel was nicknamed back in the 15 th century BC, in the list of conquests by the Egyptian king Tohotmos II. In this presentation we shall meet Haifa which rolls from this holy mountain towards the Mediterranean Sea. While getting to know the views and the sites we shall discover that they cannot be taken for granted - some people don't recognize their unique potential. . .

In the first of the Haifa presentations series, “Introduction to Haifa”, we have been introduced to the west part of the city, which covers the head of the Carmel Ridge (Picture taken from Eshkol Tower at the University of Haifa) צ

Cababir Carmel Beach Panorama Towers Carmelia Ahuza Carmel Hospital Electric Company Denia Ramat Begin Carmel Central Ramat Almogi Ramat Golda West Carmel Bat Galim Baha’i Gardens Downtown Israelia Hadar Ramot Remez Savionei Carmel The Port Ramat Sapir Ramat Hen Ramat Alon IBM Haifa University N

We shall now complete our introduction, looking from Haifa University on the Carmel towards the east – the Bay area N

Haifa Port Kiryat Haim The Government Tower The Kishon Marina and Port Israelia Shemi Garden/ The Founders Grove Neve Shaanan The Technion “Lev Hamifratz” mall Ziv Ramat Alon Nesher N

Touring Haifa from the Carmel down to the sea is the recommended way to meet the city’s treasures. Walking through the Baha’i gardens is one possibility…

The Baha’i Religion is an independent monotheistic religion. Its guiding principles are unity and equality between all religions, nations and races

The Carmel is sacred to the Baha’i religion following the vision of Bahá'u'lláh, its founder, and it is home to the Baha’i most important foundations Universal House of Justice International Teaching Centre for the Study of the Sacred Texts International Archives

• The gardens are the latest addition to the Carmel Baha’i foundations and were inaugurated in 2001 • They extent a kilometer (0. 621 miles) down the mountain, and their width reaches 400 meters (438 yards) • There are 18 terraces bridging a vertical distance of 225 meters (246 yards) • 100 gardeners take care of the gardens daily – not a simple task, especially for the lawnmowers…

• The gardens are the latest addition to the Carmel Baha’i foundations and were inaugurated in 2001 • They extent a kilometer (0. 621 miles) down the mountain, and their width reaches 400 meters (438 yards) • There are 18 terraces bridging a vertical distance of 225 meters (246 yards) • 100 gardeners take care of the gardens daily – not a simple task, especially for the lawnmowers…

The gardens are the jewel of the crown of the Baha’i foundations in Haifa. In their midpoint stands “The Shrine of the Báb”, the resting place of the Baha’i religion’s prophet-herald. Free public tours are conducted in two sections of the gardens: The upper - from Yefe-Nof Street down to the Zionut blvd and the Shrine of the Báb area. The lower - from the Zionut blvd down to Ben-Gurion blvd. The lazy public tours the gardens downwards, but the Baha’i pilgrims make their way upwards, symbolizing the uplifting of the spirit on the way up to the shrine

The tour should be concluded in the German Colony, which lies at the bottom of the gardens. Back at the end of the 19 th century, the Templers Colony was a successful settlement which drove the Templers to found additional colonies throughout Israel. The houses were preserved and renovated and now host shops and restaurants, as well as the Haifa City Museum and the Haifa Tourists Board

However, Haifa’s attractions, as well as its uniqueness as the city-of-all-religions, do not end with the hanging gardens. The neighborhood of Cabbabir may surprise you. Together with the Jewish community, the neighborhood is home to the families of the only Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Israel. Just by its impressive twintowered Mosque, which is seen from afar, lies the center of the Ahmadiyya Movement in the Middle East

The movement was founded in India at the end of the 19 th century. It is a Muslim religious movement and its followers are known as Ahmadis. The movement preaches for universal brotherhood and rejects the concept of “Jihad” – the “Holy Struggle”. As part of its activities, the movement is working on a translation of the Qur’an to over 100 languages. The Ahmadis welcome guests in the offices near the mosque and are glad to talk about their faith and traditions. Among the other experiences, one can get a copy of selected Qur’an Suras translated to Yiddish…

Cabbabir can be reached with a car, church where the Carmelite in “Lotus” as well as remains of a crusade-erabut it’s recommended to park Order was Street and walk founded. From the trail down Nahal (Wadi)climb the At the bottom we can see Wadi it is possible to “Siach”. steep slope to the north the towardssprings the Cabbabir ridge“Ein of Meshotetim” and “Ein Siach”,

From Wadi Siach, the Jewish and Christian cemeteries are seen, as well as the “View” of the Carmel Beach Towers – the most unnecessary addition Haifa has known in the past few years

Speaking of Wadis, Nahal Lotem should be mentioned. A piece of nature in the middle of the city that takes you from “Ha’em” Garden in the Carmel Center towards the beach

But we are not getting to the trail so fast… First, The Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art waits for us just near Ha’em Garden. And a visit to this garden is not complete without a stopover at the Haifa Educational Zoo. On the green slopes of Wadi Lotem, animals almost live in their natural habitat. Nathan, king of the Baboons, will be happy to show us around !

Buba Barry and Benny Besides Baboons and other friends, we can meet the “Three Bears”…

Buba Barry and Benny They will be happy to tell us about their heroism during the last war. They preferred to stroll outside, and went inside on their own at the sound of the sirens. Oh, and YES, they do have a sweet tooth and feast on jam vigorously…

One of the highlights of touring the Carmel towards the sea is strolling in the stairway routes. The Haifa stairway “phenomenon” is unfamiliar to the residents of flat cities in Israel, and is a mystery to residents of Jerusalem as well. Due to the unique topography of the city, most streets that head down from the Carmel follow the ridge contour lines. Crossing them, almost hidden from view, are dozens of stairways. They have a functional purpose but at the same time add a unique dimension to city’s urban texture

Descending (or climbing…) the stairways reveal serene spots which are exceptional within a noisy city, and give you a peek into the lives of the residents of Haifa. The different layers of the city and its neighborhoods change as you walk

While some routes are signed, anyone can compose his own route – starting from “Yefe Nof” St. in the Carmel Center and swirling down through the labyrinth of stairways

Try to locate THIS place in your Haifa stairway tour…

Or THIS one…

Some interesting stairways cross “Hadar” - one of Haifa’s fascinating neighborhoods. From Hadar we can continue downwards to “Wadi Nisnas” to the west or “Nahala” and “Halisa” neighborhoods to the east.

And have fun with the kids on the way… We can return to the starting point using the “Carmelit” subway.

let’s add another worthy touring option. After days aren’t enough and Muslims, it’s By now you probably understand that a few we mentioned Baha’i to see Haifa (I’ve now touring it cumulatively for weeks, and still haven’t seen everything). beentime to meet Christians and Jews…

On the “Stella Maris” ridge we find the important monastery of the Carmelite order. It used to be a large medical center and a luxurious pilgrims hostel. Nowadays pilgrims flow to the impressive church.

Across from the church there’s a superb viewpoint. At night, pleasant lights of the Bat-Galim neighborhood are prominent, as well as the illuminated vessels of the Navy Museum. At daytime, the Galilee mountains and the coasts of the western Galilee are spread across the horizon

Near the viewpoint stands one of the prettiest buildings in Haifa, which started as a summer retreat for Abdullah Pasha, ruler of Acco (Acre). Amongst the many turns and twists of its history, a lighthouse was added and it now serves as a military base for the IDF. This is the reason it can neither be photographed nor visited. With the help of modern technologies, lets hope that the military functions will be transferred to another site soon, so the unique site can be transformed into a cultural and touristic spot

As a compensation, we can go around the building on foot. This is a starting point for a pretty trail that goes down from Stella Maris towards the sea and holds a few surprises along the way. One of them is the “Holy Family Chapel”, which started as a windmill and was converted to a chapel during the 60 s. This is one of the most romantic and beautiful urban spots in Israel, and the view makes you feel for a moment as if you are on a Greek island.

The chapel is closed, but peeking in through the gate reveals the surprises within. During Spring time, the slope is filled with a tapestry of colorful flowers.

Another surprise is two strange concrete structures. They take us back to the days of WWII – the British set them up as military posts while the German-Italian forces were threatening the beaches of Israel

People on this path we the healing powers of the cave for hundreds of years. Further have believed inget to the Jewish part of the story, hiding in the cave of Don’t This pictures fool you – one of the usually of Elijah the prophet. The Elijah. let thecave is identified as the cave is hideoutspacked with pilgrims of all religions who seek only This makes but to a monotheistic multi-religion cave is sacred not relief. to the Jews, the caveall symbol of thereligions, and harmony in Haifa. archeological findings revealed that it was popular back in the byzantine era.

Haifa municipality decided that this way is better, and even prepared the spot for Near the navy museum we can enjoy the view of the interchange connecting Allenby Rd. additional ramps in the future. Israeli court harshly criticized the illegal proceedings of to the main road right on the pretty beach. Instead of building a subdued highway and the municipality handeling this project connecting Allenby Rd. on the ground level,

Please note – next to and Haapala is one of the one, called “The story of the The Museum of Navythis museum there is another coolest in Israel. National Maritime Museum” which contains an interesting collection ship – the “Af Al Pi man (which immigration to Israel is presented within a real presenting the world of. Hen” and sea translates to “Despite it all”). Among the other exhibits is a real Navy warship.

Now we reach the neighborhood of “Bat Galim”, founded in 1922 right on the beachfront. This peaceful neighborhood was designed by Richard Kaufman, one of the most important architects who designed settlements in Israel in the “Garden City” spirit

Much for its authentic character, the promenade of Bat Galim is one of the most pleasant urban marine areas

The shore of Bat Galim holds another secret, beyond the interesting reef In fact, the stretch of sea that goes from the Oceanographic Institute to and. Navyrich marine life. The point where the head of the Carmel ridge the base is a surfer’s paradise on an international scale ! meets the sea, creates ideal conditions of winds and waves.

The residents thethe neighborhoodthe place, the municipality of Haifa has been Despite of natural charm of and the surfers community did not take this lightly, and started to it for the past few years by extensive construction, which trying to develop fight back includes, among other things, a marina.

In addition, an alternative location discussed the Municipality’s requests several port”, The national planning committees has been approved for the marina in the “west times, a reasonable location terminating the Baha’i Gardens axis any further sea. and recently decided that the coastline will be kept withouttowards the building. Approved area

The story of the marina in Bat Galim is a cheerful example of how the public can unite and defeat real estate ‘sharks’ and politicians!

The planning committee decision is great news to the residents of Bat Galim, the surfers community and the Israeli population CIt is a decision that favors the benefit of the public over the few C A decision that guides politicians back to hard work C A decision that directs the entrepreneurs and the greedy to think twice before wasting the public’s time C A decision that shows that a public struggle, even of a few against the powerful can succeed if it is carried out on time and conducted professionally and decisively

This presentation is an invitation for a “date” with Haifa, but also serves as a warning sign for the city’s generals, entrepreneurs and everyone involved with making decisions about the fate of Haifa. Topographic conditions, unique treasures, and loyal residents combine together to give Haifa its power and uniqueness. Harming them would be sawing off the branch on which we sit

Photography and Presentation Guy Shachar 2002 -2007 mail@guyshachar. com Previous Presentations of “The Haifa Project”, other images of Israel landsacpes and information about lectures inspired by the presentations: http: //www. guyshachar. com Additional Haifa pictures and presentations by the Haifa History Society: http: //www. haifa. org. il English translation courtesy of Erez Ben-Ari http: //www. erezbenari. co. il

Additional Haifa links About the Bat Galim campaign “Symphony of a city” – Haifa in the early 1950 s in film http: //tinyurl. com/3 vbyl Haifa Tourist Board http: //www. tour-haifa. co. il/ Haifa Museums http: //www. hms. org. il The Carmelit Subway http: //www. carmelit. com The Haifa Municipality http: //www. haifa. muni. il Haifa University http: //www. haifa. ac. il Haifa - General Website of Bat Galim Beach - not just for surfers, including the history of the conflict http: //www. batgalim. org. il/ YNET items about the Marina http: //www. ynet. co. il/articles/0, 7340, L-3381936, 00. html http: //www. ynet. co. il/articles/0, 7340, L-3380956, 00. html Haaretz article about the Marina http: //tinyurl. com/2 xmssk Walla item about the Marina http: //news. walla. co. il/? w=/5/801037 The Technion http: //www. technion. ac. il Radio Haifa http: //www. 1075. fm/ Maccabi Haifa http: //www. mhaifa. co. il/ http: //tinyurl. com/3 vbyl