Haifa the Unknown Beauty
The city of Haifa lies on the Mediterranean coast in the north of Palestine at the points of 32.49 north and longitude 35 east, at the meeting point of the Mediterranean sea by both the valley and Mount Caramel, and this make it a mandatory point to cross as its expansion is about 200 meters, and that is made it the first seaport in Palestine, and made it a gateway to Iraq, Jordan, South Syria across the Mediterranean sea, it is a very important city from the commercial and military side throughout its history, and this that is made it a reason for the colonial ambitions from the Crusader invasion till the Zionist occupation. Haifa is the third city after Jerusalem and Jaffa.
The emergence of the city is still unclear, the historian is still unable to determine the period of time in which the city arose. though most of the archaeological indicate that the east areas of the Mediterranean sea was one of the most important areas where the human make its civilization due to its geographical location, moderate climate, the fertilizes soil, and abundant water, it was found through archaeological discoveries in the city that it was one of the oldest cities that settled by humans since ancient times.
Haifa Was opened in under the Umayyad caliph Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, by Omar Bin Al-Aas in 633 AD. As a result the Arab tribes started to settle in Palestine, particularly in the areas of the Palestinian coast, Haifa remained part of the Islamic state during the Umayyad and Abbasid regime.
The location of Haifa helped it to grow commercially, economically, and tourism. And what increased its importance is the existence of the Hijaz railway, which established in 1905 and Haifa – Cairo. Also its port, which established during the Ottomans regime considered as one of the largest ports after the port of Alexandria.