History of Haifa - Early History

Early History

A small port city, Tell Abu Hawam, existed in the Haifa region in the Late Bronze Age (14th century BCE). The 6th-century BCE geographer Scylax describes a city "between the bay and the Promontory of Zeus" (i.e., the Carmel) which may be a reference to Haifa in the Persian period. The city moved to a new site south of what is now Bat Galim, in Hellenistic period, after the old port became blocked with silt. The archaeological site of Shikmona lies southwest of Bat Galim neighbourhood of Haifa. Mount Carmel and the Kishon River are also mentioned in the Bible. The geology of Mount Carmel has left the Mount riddled with caves. A grotto on the top of Mount Carmel is known as the "Cave of Elijah", traditionally linked to the Prophet Elijah and his apprentice, Elisha. In Arabic, the highest peak of the Carmel range is named El-Muhrrakah, or the "place of burning," harking back to the burnt offerings and sacrifices on this hilltop in Canaanite and early Israelite times It is believed that this was the point of Elijah's biblical confrontation with hundreds of priests of a Baal; the Baal in question was probably Melqart.

Early Haifa is believed to have been located in an area that extends from the present-day Rambam Hospital to the Jewish Cemetery on Yafo Street. The inhabitants engaged in fishing and agriculture.

There are disputes over the exact location of early Haifa with many researchers believing that the name ‘Haifa’ is identical to a settlement of which the remains have been found in an area that extends from the present-day Rambam Hospital to the Jewish Cemetery in Yafo Street. The residents of this time were largely thought to have been involved in various coastal industries, including fishing and agriculture as well as acting as a port welcoming groups of people who eventually settled in the city. Before the Persians came to the area in 600 CE, the population of Haifa is thought to have been widely dispersed across the area.

The city is first mentioned in Talmudic literature around the 3rd century CE, as a small fishing village and the home of Rabbi Avdimos and other Jewish scholars. The hellenised population lived along the coast at this time was engaged in commerce. Haifa was located near the town of Shikmona, the main Jewish town in the area at that time and a center for making the traditional Tekhelet dye used for Jewish Priests' temple cloth

Under Byzantine rule, Haifa continued to flourish, although never grew to great importance due to its proximity to Acre.