Intensive Arabic Semester

Acco
Acco (or Acre) is a city in the Western Galilee region of Northern Israel and is located North of Haifa Bay. Acco is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country and historically was regarded as a strategic coastal link to the Levant. Acre is the holiest city of the Bahai Faith. Acre has been ruled by Canaanites, Israelites, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans, the British, and present-day Israel.

The Bahai Gardens, Haifa
The terraces of the Bahai Faith, also known as the Hanging Gardens of Haida, are garden terraces around the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel in Haifa. They are one of the most visited tourist attractions in Israel. Along with the Bahai Holy Places in the Western Galilee, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Baqa-Al-Gharbiyye College (Al-Qasemi Academic College of Education)
The college was founded in 1989 as a college for Sharia and Islamic Studies, is authorized by the Council for Higher Education in Israel and specializes in the following fields: Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Literature, English Language and Literature, Mathematics, and Computers in the elementary and secondary tracks, Early Childhood Education track, Special Education track. It employs 120 faculty members, Arabs and Jews. Current enrollment at the college is 1,600 students from all over the country.

Border Police Museum
Almost across the road from Barkai (within walking distance) is a Border Police Museum with a memorial for police force members who died in the line of duty. This includes many Arabs. There is a very nice picnic area at the Border Police Museum.

Ceasarea Ruins
Caesarea is an ancient Roman port city that still showcases incredible Roman ruins right on the beach. It was built by the Jewish Kind Herod in about 22BCE and flourished into the Byzantine times. Remains of the principal buildings erected by Herod and the medieval town are still visible today, including the city walls, the castle and a Crusader cathedral and church.

Daliyat El-Karmel
Daliyat El-Karmel is a Druze village in the North District of Israel next to Usufiya, also a Druze village. The town is famous for its colorful market, which is alive with visitors all week long and especially on Saturdays. They are also well known for their Druze food products that are sold on the side o the road (olives, olive oil, Druze bread, etc.). The shrine of Abu Abrahim, whom the Druze consider their prophet, resides in the oldest part of town.

Mei Kedem
Alona Park, Mei Kedem (Ancient Water) is a water tunnel extending 280 m out of Mei Kedem, which was built more than 2,000 years ago, in Herod and Hadrian’s day. The water tunnel was part of an engineering system designed to supply water to ancient Caesarea. These days, you can walk along the tunnel, with the water reaching up to your knees.

Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest Arab city in Israel and is sometimes known as the “Arab capital of Israel.” The population is predominately Christian, though there are Muslims too, and Nazareth Illit (Upper Nazareth) is a Jewish village above Nazareth proper. Nazareth is the childhood home of Jesus and has many incredible churches. It is a center of Christian Pilgrimage, with many shrines commemorating biblical events. It is also home to the best Knaffeh (Arab dessert) in Israel.

Ramat HaNadiv Memorial Gardens
The Ramat Hanadiv Memorial Gardens are nestled on a slope, on the road that leads from Zichron Ya’acov to Binyamina. The gardens and nature reserve are a real jewel sprawled over roughly 1,100 acres–20 of which are the memorial gardens. There are a number of paths in the nature reserve (ask for a map at the information booth). Some of the highlights include the remains of an ancient villa; Ein Tzur, a Roman period water system, ancient quarries, an ancient burial site from the Middle Bronze Age, Hurvat ‘Alaq, an Ottoman era farmstead and more.

Umm El Fahm Art Gallery
The Umm el-Fahm Art Gallery was founded in 1996, on the initiative of local residents and artists who wanted to bring quality contemporary art to the city and its population and to exhibit original Arab and Palestinian art. With a lack of other art galleries in the Arab sector in Israel, the gallery has become an important social and cultural meeting place. Contemporary art exhibits, symposiums, creative workshops and seminars have drawn large audiences and have established the gallery as an important center in the local and international culture scene.

Wadi Nisnas
Wadi Nisnas is an Arab neighborhood in the city of Haifa. There are about 8,000 people who live there. Wadi Nisnas is a picturesque neighborhood with old stone houses, narrow alleys, and a Middle Eastern marketplace that combine to create a village atmosphere in the middle of a bustling city. Here you will find stores filled with coffee, fish and seafood, stands selling fruits and vegetables, olives and olive oil.

Zikron Ya’akov
Zikhron Ya’akov is a town in Israel south of Haifa in the Haifa District. It is located at the Southern end of the Carmel Mountain Range, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea near the Coastal Highway. It was one of the first Jewish settlements in modern day Israel, founded in 1882 by Baron Edmond James de Rothschild and named in honor of his father. The old section of the town has many shops and restaurants.