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All about Acre, Israel (Links - 1)
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Info about *Gems in Israel*: The contributors write for people who are interested in more than just the major tourist attractions, for seasoned and first-time visitors to Israel and anyone who dreams of one day visiting the Holy Land. Gems in Israel also has a strong focus on the modern and biblical history of Israel. Subscribers also receive weekly emails that feature additional nuggets of useful information for travelers to Israel. Learn the right pronunciation of Hebrew names!		Read the full article Location of Acre: -> Talking Map! <-		Acre, Akko, or Acco? by Yael Zisling According to the ancient Greeks, Hercules was once seriously wounded. He found the herbs to cure his wounds, in this port city. Greeks settled here in the third century BC and apparently, they believed that the word Akko derived from the Greek word for cure, Aka. This might explain why the name of this 4,000-year-old city appears in so many different ways. Officially, it is usually spelled as Acre (in English). However, in Hebrew, the city’s name is pronounced Akko. (more)

Site name: Historic Traction Trebuchet Illustrations Part 4		Siege of Acre (Illustration drawn c. 1280), Biblotheque Municipale de Lyon, Ms 828 f33r Another heavy traction trebuchet similar to the one in the simple drawing in Illustration No.9 and the machine in Illustration No.11. The base looks like a single-post one at first glance, especially with the wooden structure at the top of the uprights, but you can see that the artist has drawn in the rear upright slightly higher than the front one and the base shows this too. Note the multiple bracing timbers. The beam is re-enforced with a lot of whipping and has a heavy cross-member at the end fitted with rings to take the pullers' ropes (which are just visible). The artist has given the machine a huge projectile.
The apparent inward-of-vertical position of the sling is consistent with a counterweight machine's trough launch - but I suspect the artist's choice of position here is more to do with fitting everything into the frame... This drawing definitely makes the extremely large and apparently heavy end timber appear to be vertical. (Note: This illustration appears in "Crusades", a BBC book by Jones and Ereira, as a counterweight machine - which it is obviously not, unless they mean a "weight augmented" traction machine.) Read the full article

Site name: Photos from Acre (a Crusader and Turkish City)		Acre - "Vaults formerly used as a Turkish prison in which the British held and hanged Jewish freedom fighters from the pre-state Jewish underground. (more) See all pictures

Page name: The Armory, The Fall of Acre, 18 April 1291		"All remaining forces were gathered in Acre, with the result that there may have been 2,000 to 3,000 knights, 18,000 foot soldiers, and up to 3,000 squires, sergeants, and Turcopoles. That Acre would eventually be a target for Muslims was clear in 1289 too, because Papal support was then requested for by a Templar and a Hospitaller sent to Rome. The Muslim who was given the honor of driving the Franks into the Mediterranean was called Al-Afdal, a son of Qalawun. When he left Egypt on 6 March 1291, he made sure he had the upper hand - it has been put forward that he may have had 66,000 horsemen and 160,000 foot soldiers in his army.
The defenders of Acre had a terrible sight in front of them when Al-Ashraf arrived on 5 April, since he had assembled a hundred siege engines besides the formidable army he had. With no delays the Muslims started bombarding the city and trying to fill the moat, while letting the defenders enjoy a constant hail of arrows. Engineers also attempted to undermine the city walls. For some time the Christians gave a sound response to Al-Ashraf, because they still had supplies brought in by the sea, which they controlled at this stage. Muslims had arrows flying towards them from ships anchored offshore. While the siege was on, the Templars fought with renowned valiance. They were always at the hottest sites, leading attacks and counterattacks. On 15 April they made a daring raid beyond the city walls and into a Muslim camp but sustained heavy losses during it. In the morning of 16 April the Muslims went for St. Anthony's gate, one of the main entrances to the city. A massive battle ensued, the outcome of which was favourable to the Franks only because of the joined efforts of the Templars and the Hospitallers. Guillaume de Beaujeu, Grand Master of the Templars, was wounded in the shoulder and carried to the Templar compound, where he succumbed to the wounds. The battle resulted in the start of evacuations from the city by Venetian ships, but the process only could save a small percentage of all the people in the city. e have the following description of the Templar raid, written by Gerard de Montreal whose source is identified as "The Templar of Tyre". (more) Read the full article

Les Châteaux Francs en Terre Sainte: Acre ou Akka? Site in the French language		Frankish castles in the Holy Land: Acre - Ville et port de Palestine, qui apparaît dans l'Ancien Testament sous le nom de "Acco" et au temps des Ptolémées d'Égypte sous celui de "Ptolemaïs", époque où elle connut une certaine prospérité. Read the full article (in French)