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Historic Sites

Nahal Siah
A walk along a short gully descending from the Carmel ridge to the coastal plain brings the visitor to Nahal Siah, the cradle of activity of the monastic Carmelite Order, founded in Haifa in the 13th century during the Crusader period. These Christian ascetics found there good springs, some land, and seclusion. They lived in caves and niches, worked the mountain terraces, and met for prayer. Over the years, they developed the gully and its slopes, and at its center built a fortified church, watchtowers and irrigation ditches, whose remains may be seen today. Many centuries later, the Arab Khayat family established a coffee house and planted a typical eastern fruit garden or bustan, which became one of the most sought-after recreation spots in Haifa during the British Mandate.