In the northern part of the Old City, the commanding Citadel adjoins the Crusader City on HaHagana St., opposite the sea wall. (Navigating die maze of streets in this part of Old City is tricky, especially without one of the tourist office’s glossy maps.) This stronghold, used by the British as their central prison, now houses the Museum of Heroism (tel. 91 39 00), a monument to Jewish pre-state resistance organizations. The citadel was built in the late 1700s on Crusader foundations of the ]3th century, and was used as a prison by the Turks. The most famous inmate during Turkish rule was Baha’u'llah, founder of the Baha’i faith, who was imprisoned here on the second floor in 1868. During the British Mandate, the prison housed about 560 inmates under the guard of about half as many British soldiers. Members of the Jewish guerilla groups Palmah, Hagana, and Irgun, including Ze’evjabotinsky himseif, were imprisoned here for anti-British activities. After losing eight members to the citadel’s gallows between 1938 and 1947, the Irgun retaliated by hanging a British officer. The Gallows Room displays the noose in place, along with photographs of the eight victims. On May 4, 1947, the Irgun staged a spectacular prison break that freed 11 of its members and 255 other inmates (later depicted in the movie Exodus, shot on location). To reach the museum, follow the stone stairs down to the lower garden, then up the metal stairs and around the side of the prison. (Complex open Sun.-Thurs. 8:30am-4pm. Admission NIS6, students NIS4.)

Across the street from the Museum of Heroism looms the Burj al-Kuraim (Fortress of the Vineyards), commonly referred to as the British Fortress, despite its Cru-satler and Turkish builders. Renowned through liistoty as the most secure port in the East, Akko remains a city of battlements and bastions. Akko’s defense in recent centuries has relied upon the Al-Jazzar Wall, which extends along the northern and eastern sides of the city and is surrounded by a moat of sea water. The best place from which to view the wall is the Burj al-Kommander (Commander’s Fortress), an enormous Crusader bastion at the northern comer. To enter the watch-tower, climb the steps that begin where Weizmann St. crosses the wall.