Old Acre

OLD ACRE
Third in the "Ancient Cities of the Holy Land" Numismatic Bullion Series

The city of Acre lies in the northern coastal plain of Israel and is one of the oldest port cities of the world. Acre's Old City is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and surrounded by a wall. Since 1990, wide-scale archeological works and preservation works have been undertaken.

In 2001, the Old City of Acre was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, in 2008, the Bahai Gardens in Acre were also proclaimed a World Heritage Site. Acre is therefore the only city in Israel with two separate UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  For the Bahai faith, Acre is considered the holiest place.

Acre's Old City has an outstanding history. It has had ups and downs and passed from one ruler to another, because of its strategic situation on the coast. The city reached its peak when it served as capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 13th century and when it was the Ottoman governor of Acre, Ahmad Pasha al-Jazzar's capital, at the end of the 18th century.

Old Acre is unique for being built on two different levels – the Crusader City and the Ottoman City. Remains of the original medieval period Crusader buildings have been preserved and these are found beneath the fortified Moslem city that was built over them, in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The walled City of Old Acre is a vibrant, authentic urban area of historical, touristic and cultural value, with impressive churches, mosques, synagogues and other historical buildings.  It is well worth a visit.

The name Acre is mentioned once in the Bible: "Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acre, not the inhabitants of Zidon" (Judges 1:31)

Description
Face: The wall surrounding the Old City of Acre with the waves of the sea in the backdrop, inscriptions "Old Acre", on the gold version "1oz. fine gold.9999", on the silver,"1oz. fine silver.999", and the mint year 2022.

Common Reverse: Border inscriptions in English and Hebrew, "Ancient Cities in the Holy Land". In the center, a seven-branched Menorah candelabrum taken from an ancient Hasmonean Coin of Mattathias Antigonus (40 – 37 B.C.E).

Design: Meir Eshel

Engraving: Tidhar Dagan

Minting: The Holy Land Mint