Walking tall on Haifa’s panoramic promenade
Gaze down upon a glorious history, from the days of Kaiser Wilhelm II to the modern Baha’i Gardens
When Kaiser Wilhelm II visited the Holy Land in 1898, he began his tour on top of Mount Carmel. And no wonder: the spot on which the German emperor stood offered one of the most breathtaking panoramas in the world.
Directly below him were the red-tiled roofs of Haifa’s German Colony, established by the German Templers in 1868; slightly beyond these quaint little houses a shimmering Mediterranean Sea glistened in the sunlight. To the northeast he could see Acco (Acre). And, weather permitting, he viewed the heights of Rosh Hanikra.
Today, Wilhelm’s lookout point is part of a delightful Haifa walkway. Called the Louis Promenade, this causeway glories in a series of splendid panoramas; the landscaping is rich and restful and there is plenty of shade.
At almost any point on the promenade you can view houses reaching all the way from the mountain’s 550-meter peak down to the water. But the most prominent feature on the slopes is the Baha’i Temple, with its glistening dome. Built above the grave of the oracle who heralded the coming of the Baha’i Prophet, the shrine was prepared in 1953 from all imported materials. The gold plating on the dome, ever shiny, came all the way from Holland.
The Temple’s fabulously landscaped gardens have been a major tourist attraction for decades. Then, at the beginning of the 21st century, 18 superb hanging gardens were added to the Baha’i Temple complex.
Baha’i followers believe that flowers spread brotherly love and this conviction was the inspiration for both the older gardens and the latest additions. The hanging gardens begin just below an elaborately ornamental gate guarded by a pair of sculpted eagles: the gate is just across the street.
One spot on the promenade holds a monument to Kaiser Wilhelm and his wife Augusta Victoria: in 1910, Templers marked the site where he stood by planting a garden and naming it Kaiser Square. A more modern memorial was erected by the Kaiser’s grandson when he visited Haifa in 1982.
Below, the large port in Haifa Bay is bustling with activity. Ships in the water may be luxury liners, American aircraft carriers, or belong to the British or the Dutch. Sailors come to Haifa for R&R or to buy supplies; some bring their vessels here for maintenance. The port has its origins in the mid-18th century, and was expanded during the British Mandate.
Haifa was first mentioned in Jewish writings of nearly 2,000 years ago. But that Haifa, known as Shikmona, was northwest of the city’s present location. Also called “el-Atika” (ancient), this early Haifa was populated by a high percentage of Jewish residents and endured from Roman times through the Crusader period.
After a bloody battle with the Jews of ancient Haifa in 1100, the Crusaders butchered everyone they could find and devastated everything in sight. What the Crusaders didn’t tear apart was laid waste 650 years later by a Bedouin named Daher el-Amar, who ruled the Galilee for a period during Turkish occupation of the country, but made his home in the far more important port city of Acre.
When el-Amar decided to build a port in Haifa’s bay and needed laborers and stevedores to work it, he resettled the ruins of Haifa el Atika. Unfortunately, the walls surrounding the area were in such bad shape that they were incapable of withstanding assault. Accordingly, when Turkish troops advanced on Haifa in 1761 the Bedouin leader decided to completely level the ancient city. The populace was removed to a narrow strip between the port and the mountains, where Daher el-Amar established a tiny new village with defensive walls.
By 1868, when German Templers landed in Haifa, they found the little city crowded, noisy and dirty. Appalled at its condition, the Templers immediately acquired rights to land nearby, built three excellent roads leading from the Mediterranean to the Carmel Mountains, and studded them with houses, gardens and agricultural plots.
During the Mandate period, the British built a modern port. The main installations and storehouses are in a southeastern corner of the bay where the Carmel Range protects them from the wind. To permit very large ships to dock, the British drained a strip of water about 400 meters wide and deepened the level of the ground.
In late afternoon, on a background of Haifa’s glorious sunsets, brides and grooms can be seen posing in full wedding dress for their pre-nuptial pictures. Strollers enjoy the sight as, shaded by pine trees, eucalyptus, and decorative pergolas, they rest comfortably on lovely wood and stone benches. Often, a musician or two will be playing the violin or the viola on the promenade – or even singing opera!
This article is adapted from a chapter in Aviva Bar-Am’s book Israel Travels from Metulla to Eilat.
Shmuel Bar-Am is a licensed, tour guide who provides private, customized tours in Israel for individuals, families and small groups.
