Stella Maris Light

Stella Maris Light (Hebrew: מגדלור סטלה מאריס‎), Mount Carmel Light, Har Carmel Light or Haifa Light, is a lighthouse in Haifa, Israel. It is located on the seaward face of Mount Carmel, near Stella Maris Monastery, inside an Israeli Navy base.

Stella Maris Light
Har Carmel
Stella Maris Light in 2010
LocationHaifa, Israel
Coordinates32°49′41.25″N 34°58′0.56″E
Year first constructed1864 (first)
Year first lit1928 (current)
Foundation3-story building
Constructionmansory tower
Tower shapeoctagonal tower with lantern and gallery
Markings / patternbuff tower, red and white vertical stripes on lantern, black dome
Tower height20 metres (66 ft)
Focal height179 metres (587 ft)
Original lensFresnel lens[1]
Range30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi)
partially obscured
CharacteristicFl W 5s.
Admiralty numberE5945
NGA number113-21212
ARLHS numberISR-004 [2]

The lighthouse is closed to the public and there is no access to the building. It can be viewed from nearby.

History

Over the years there have been lighthouses in several locations on Mount Carmel. An ancient lighthouse was present on the mountain in Roman times.[3] One early mention is a lighthouse located at the original site of the Stella Maris Monastery, as early as 1631.[4]

The summer residence of Abdullah Pasha at the end of the 19th century, with the old lighthouse
Original catadioptric apparatus from Stella Maris Light, presented at the facade of Israeli National Maritime Museum

The current location of the lighthouse is at the summer palace of Abdullah Pasha, the ruler of Acre from 1820 to 1831. The house and lighthouse were built using masonry from the Carmelite monastery that stood there, and was destroyed by order of Abdullah Pasha.[4] In 1831 Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt captured Acre, exiled Abdullah Pasha to Egypt, and returned the building to the Carmelites.[5]

The structure was badly damaged in the First World War. However, the building was restored in the end of the war and the Carmelites added a second floor in 1926. In 1928, with a donation by the Spanish Honorary Consul, the current lighthouse was built. The original lens, as well as plans for the original structure and catadioptric apparatus are on display at the facade of Israeli National Maritime Museum.

In the Second World War the British Army rented the house from the Carmelites to serve in the preparation to the Nazi invasion to the area. The British remained there until their evacuation at the end of the British Mandate in 1948. The building has been used by the Israeli Navy ever since.

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See also

References
  1. According to the label on an illustration from the Israeli National Maritime Museum
  2. "Stela Maris, Mt. Carmel/Haifa Light - ARLHS ISR-004". ARLHS. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
  3. Frank Eckardt (2008). Media and urban space: understanding, investigating and approaching mediacity. Frank & Timme GmbH. p. 330. ISBN 3-86596-142-8.
  4. Dave Winter (1999). Israel handbook. Footprint Travel Guides. ISBN 1-900949-48-2. pp. 568-570
  5. סטלה מאריס [Stella Maris] (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
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