This used to be a Phoenician
city. It had its own harbour and was
famous for its dyeing industry, using the glands ofs snail to produce the
dyes. When the tribe of Asher came
settle the land the Phoenicians were already there and they stayed, along with
the Asherites.
The Phoenicians had arrived
in the countryin approx 1500 BCE ,
and the peak of their civilization was in the years 1200-800 BCE , although some still remained in Roman times. The name Phoenicians comes from the Greek
word for purple (one of their dye colours) Phoenix .
They had many gods and their centres of worship were Geval and
Baalbeck. They were one of the first
peoples to use letters in their writing.
During the Mishna period
there was a synagogue on the site. Later
there was an Arab village, which was abandoned in 1948.
In 1946 the bridge over the
nearby Achziv stream was blown up
during the Night of the Bridges. 14
people were killed. The Achziv stream descends from the Hermon and drains the
whole area.
In 1971 Eli Avivi set up “The
Land of Achziv ”, and declared his
independence from the State of Israel.
It was never recognized. This
step was in protest against the IPNA park being opened adjacent to his
land. His property became a bohemian
holiday camp, which was popular in the late 70’s, and there was even a period
when passports were stamped.
To the south of the Tel is the
IPNA park, which includes the rocky beach.
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