Sea Wall at Acco, Israel, 2008 (photo)

Acco's location, as a sea port and on one of the main roads in the country, made it an important city in northern Israel. In fact, Acco became the capital of the new Crusader kingdom in 1191 AD. The skyline of present day Acco consists of late architectural components, mostly from the Ottoman Empire (1516-1917), including the great mosque, several motels and most of the fortifications. The 18th century Sea Wall was rebuilt by Daher el-Omar, the Ottoman ruler of Acre, over the Crusader Walls which extended slightly further out to sea. It was reinforced between 1775 and 1799 by Jezzar Pasha and survived Napoleon's siege. The old city of Acre was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2001.