Knight’s Hall – Hospitaller Fortress

The Knights’ Halls were formerly used for lodging and eating for the Crusader settlements in Akko, which are located in the Akko fortress.
The halls were discovered in the 1960s during an excavation for laying sewer pipes, and the site research began in 1992, and as of 2012, the conservation and excavation work had not yet been completed.

The hall structure consists of four wings. The northern wing is located on the northern route of the Akko Wall, with nine long and narrow halls. The east wing has a large hall – the “Grand Monier”, which is covered with cross vaults. This hall served as a conference hall and a place to have ceremonies for the Knights. The southern wing is where the magnificent Gothic-style refectory resides. Underneath the dining room is a tunnel that leads to the southern part of the complex, containing the remains of a Gothic church and a Turkish hammam that is on the level of the Crusader city and most of which has not yet been exposed. The west wing has two floors for the combatants’ living quarters. Both the west wing and the south wing are built in a grand style, and were probably built in a later period.

The visit to the Knights’ Hall is accompanied by an audio guide that tells the story of the fortress. The walk between the halls is done independently and in each hall an explanation can be heard. The entire site is accessible to the disabled except for the getaway cave.