Acre is a historic walled port-city with continuous settlement from the Phoenician period. The present city is characteristic of a fortified town dating from the Ottoman 18th and 19th centuries, with typical urban components such as the citadel, mosques, khans and baths. The remains of the Crusader town, dating from 1104 to 1291, lie almost intact, both above and below today's street level, providing an exceptional picture of the layout and structures of the capital of the medieval Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem.

Brief synthesis Acre, continuously settled from Phoenician times, was of major significance during the Crusader period in the Holy Land. Because of its position, located on a peninsula encompassing a natural bay, the city gained international significance from 1104 to 1291 as the capital of the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem following its development as the Crusaders main port in the Holy Land. Whilst this strategically located port enabled it to become a centre for international trade, its physical boundaries, delineated by surrounding walls and sea, created a characteristic densely built mediaeval city. Following a long period of decline, during which it was still the main entry port for Christian pilgrims visiting Jerusalem, it flourished again in the 18th century as the capital of this part of the Ottoman Empire. Its unique character is in the substantial remains of the Crusader city that are preserved virtually intact beneath the typical Ottoman city preserved till the present day, and have in recent years been revealed by scientific excavation. The present townscape of the walled port-town is characteristic of Moslem perceptions of urban design, with narrow winding streets and fine public buildings and houses. Demonstrating the interchange of mediaeval European and Middle-Eastern architecture, the city has some exceptional edifices, including a citadel, mosques, khans and baths. Criterion (ii): Acre is an exceptional historic port-town in that it preserves the…