Haifa
Tell Abu Hawam emerged as a small port city during the Late Bronze Age, around the 14th century BCE. Archaeologists have uncovered jars and remains from Iron Age, Roman, and Byzantine periods at this site. The geographer Scylax described a settlement between the bay and Mount Carmel in the Persian period. By the 3rd century CE, Haifa functioned as a dye-making center where fishermen caught Murex sea snails to produce purple dye for Jewish prayer shawls. Talmudic literature mentions Haifa as a fishing village home to Rabbi Avdimi and other scholars. Tombs dating from the Roman era, including Jewish burial caves, exist throughout the area. The twin ancient settlements of Haifa and Sycaminon gradually expanded into one another under Roman rule. References to these names end with the Byzantine period.
Daher al-Umar destroyed the old city known as Haifa el-Atika in 1769 and rebuilt it further east as a new fortified town. This event marked the beginning of modern Haifa's existence. German traveller Leonhard Rauwolf visited Palestine in 1575 and noted early signs of resettlement. In 1858, the walled city became overcrowded, prompting the first houses to be built on the mountain slope. The British Survey of Western Palestine estimated Haifa's population at about 3,000 in 1859. The arrival of German Templers in 1868 brought steam-based power stations and factories to the region. A branch of the Hejaz Railway was constructed between 1903 and 1905, increasing trade volume significantly. Construction began on the Technion Institute of Technology in 1912, though studies did not start until 1924. Under the British Mandate, Haifa developed rapidly as an industrial port city with major oil refineries. The Palestine Electric Company inaugurated the Haifa Electrical Power Station in 1925, enabling extensive industrialization.
On the 30th of December 1947, members of the Irgun threw bombs into a crowd outside the Consolidated Refineries, killing six people and injuring 42. Arab employees retaliated by killing 39 Jewish workers in what became known as the Haifa Oil Refinery massacre. On the 21st of April 1948, Jewish forces assaulted the downtown area controlled by Arab irregulars during Operation Bi'ur Hametz. Moshe Carmel commanded the Carmeli Brigade that attacked Arab neighborhoods with mortars and gunfire. According to historian Ilan Pappé, loudspeakers ordered Arabs to leave before it was too late. By the 2nd of October 1948, only 5,000 to 6,000 of the city's 62,000 Arabs remained there. Historian Walid Khalidi described this mass exodus as a spontaneous reaction to terror tactics used by the Haganah. After the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel on the 14th of May 1948, Haifa became the gateway for Jewish immigration. New neighborhoods like Kiryat Hayim and Ramot Remez were established for incoming immigrants.
In 1909, the remains of the Báb were moved from Acre to Haifa and interred in a shrine built on Mount Carmel. Bahá'ís consider this shrine their second holiest place after the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh in Acre. The precise location was shown by Bahá'u'lláh himself to his eldest son, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in 1891. Shoghi Effendi designed and completed the structure several years later. In November 1921, the remains of 'Abdu'l-Bahá were buried in a separate room within the complex. Between 2005 and 2006, 86,037 visitors toured the shrine before it received UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 2008. The population includes approximately 14% Christians, mostly Arab Christians living in neighborhoods like Wadi Nisnas and Abbas. About 4% are Muslims, while Druze and Bahá'í communities also reside here. The Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Akka is based in Haifa with its cathedral episcopal see at St. Elijah Greek-Melkite Cathedral.
The Haifa oil refinery processes 9 million tons or 66 million barrels of crude oil annually. Its twin 80-meter high cooling towers, built in the 1930s, were the tallest structures constructed during the British Mandate period. Matam, short for Merkaz Ta'asiyot Mada, hosts manufacturing and research facilities for companies including Apple, Amazon, Intel, Microsoft, and Google. The campus of the University of Haifa houses IBM Haifa Labs. In 2010, Monocle magazine identified Haifa as having the most promising business potential globally. The municipality spent more than $350 million on roads and infrastructure between recent years. A technology-focused stock exchange was announced in 2014 to compete with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Some 40 boutique hotels have been approved or are under construction to support tourism growth. A new life sciences industrial park containing five buildings with 85,000 square meters of space is being built adjacent to Matam.
In July 2012, the Haifa municipality banned construction of any new buildings taller than nine stories on Mount Carmel. A massive development plan announced in 2012 proposed moving all port activity to the eastern side while transforming the western section into a tourism center. Train tracks that bisect the city will be buried beneath a new park developed along the Kishon River. The Haifa Economic Corporation Ltd is developing two 1,000 square meter lots for office and commercial use in Wadi Salib. Public spaces and a beach promenade will connect the renovated commercial buildings to the rest of the city. In 2016, an approved plan sought to raise Haifa's population to 330,000 residents by 2025. Five new neighborhoods were planned alongside new high-tech parks and leisure areas. The Carmel Tunnels opened for traffic on the 1st of December 2010, routing vehicles under Mount Carmel to reduce downtown congestion. The Bat Galim cable car connects the coast to the Stella Maris monastery atop Mount Carmel, serving mainly tourists since April 2022.
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Common questions
When did Haifa emerge as a small port city during the Late Bronze Age?
Tell Abu Hawam emerged as a small port city during the Late Bronze Age, around the 14th century BCE. Archaeologists have uncovered jars and remains from Iron Age, Roman, and Byzantine periods at this site.
What happened to the old city known as Haifa el-Atika in 1769?
Daher al-Umar destroyed the old city known as Haifa el-Atika in 1769 and rebuilt it further east as a new fortified town. This event marked the beginning of modern Haifa's existence.
How many Arabs remained in Haifa by the 2nd of October 1948 after the mass exodus?
By the 2nd of October 1948, only 5,000 to 6,000 of the city's 62,000 Arabs remained there. Historian Walid Khalidi described this mass exodus as a spontaneous reaction to terror tactics used by the Haganah.
Where are the remains of the Báb interred in Haifa on Mount Carmel?
In 1909, the remains of the Báb were moved from Acre to Haifa and interred in a shrine built on Mount Carmel. Bahá'ís consider this shrine their second holiest place after the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh in Acre.
What is the annual processing capacity of the Haifa oil refinery?
The Haifa oil refinery processes 9 million tons or 66 million barrels of crude oil annually. Its twin 80-meter high cooling towers, built in the 1930s, were the tallest structures constructed during the British Mandate period.
When did the Carmel Tunnels open for traffic in Haifa?
The Carmel Tunnels opened for traffic on the 1st of December 2010, routing vehicles under Mount Carmel to reduce downtown congestion. The Bat Galim cable car connects the coast to the Stella Maris monastery atop Mount Carmel, serving mainly tourists since April 2022.