View source for Haifa

{{Short description|City in Northern Israel}}
{{Other uses}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Haifa
| native_name              = {{native name|he|חיפה|italics=off}}<br />{{native name|ar|حيفا|italics=off}}
| settlement_type          = [[List of cities in Israel|City]]
| image_skyline            = {{Multiple image
  | perrow = 1/3/2/2
  | border = infobox
  | total_width = 300
  | caption_align = center
  | image1 = The Hanging Gardens of Haifa, Israel (50099173503) (cropped).jpg
  | caption1 = Skyline of Haifa from the [[Baháʼí World Centre]]
  | image2 = SailTower.jpg
  | caption2 = [[Sail Tower]]
  | image3 = Haifa_Theatre_0401.jpg
  | caption3 = [[Haifa Theatre]]
  | image4 = Israel_Electric_Company_Building_-_Hof_HaCarmel_-_Haifa.jpg
  | caption4 = [[IEC Tower]]
  | image5 = 98082 polytechnic PikiWiki Israel.jpg
  | caption5 = [[Madatech]]
  | image6 = Bat Galim neighborhood and Haifa Bay.jpg
  | caption6 = [[Bat Galim]]
  | image7 = Hadar_and_Carmel.jpg
  | caption7 = [[Hadar HaCarmel]]
  | image8 = 97600_stella_maris_monastery_PikiWiki_Israel.jpg
  | caption8 = [[Stella Maris Monastery]]
  | color = red
}}
| image_flag               = Flag of Haifa.svg
| image_blank_emblem       = [[File:Haifa coa.svg|60px]]
| blank_emblem_type        = Coat of arms
| image_map                = Printable_map_haifa_israel_g_view_level_12_eng_svg.svg
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Map of Haifa
| pushpin_map_alt          =
| pushpin_map              = Israel north haifa#Israel
| pushpin_mapsize          =
| pushpin_label_position   = left
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in Israel
| coordinates              = {{coord|32|49|09|N|34|59|57|E|region:IL|display=inline,title}}
| grid_name                = Grid&nbsp;position
| grid_position            = 145/246 [[Palestine grid|PAL]]
|subdivision_type          = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name          = {{ISR}}
|subdivision_type1         = [[Districts of Israel|District]]
|subdivision_name1         = [[Haifa District|Haifa]]
|subdivision_type2         = Subdistrict
|subdivision_name2         = [[Haifa Subdistrict|Haifa]]
| established_title        = Founded
| established_date         = 1st century CE
|government_type           = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]]
|governing_body            = Municipality of Haifa
| leader_title             = [[Mayor of Haifa|Mayor]]
| leader_name              = [[Yona Yahav]]
| unit_pref                = dunam
| area_total_dunam         = {{formatnum:63666|R}}
| population_footnotes     = {{Israel populations|reference}}
| population_total         = {{Israel populations|Haifa}}
| population_urban         = 600,000
| population_metro         = 1,050,000
| population_as_of         = {{Israel populations|Year}}
| population_density_km2   = auto
| population_demonym       = Haifan
| demographics_type1       = Ethnicity
| demographics1_footnotes  = {{Israel populations|reference}}
|  demographics1_title1    = [[Israeli Jews|Jews]]
|  demographics1_info1     = 73.1%
|  demographics1_title2    = [[Arab citizens of Israel|Arabs]]
|  demographics1_info2     = 12.1%
|  demographics1_title3    = Others
|  demographics1_info3     = 14.8%
| timezone1           = [[Israel Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1         = +2
| timezone1_DST       = [[Israel Summer Time|IDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST     = +3
| website                  = {{URL|www.haifa.muni.il/English/Pages/default.aspx|www.haifa.muni.il}}
}}

'''Haifa''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|aɪ|f|ə}} {{respell|HY|fə}}; {{langx|he|חיפה|Ḥēyfā}}, {{IPA|he|ˈχajfa|IPA}}; {{langx|ar|حيفا|Ḥayfā}})<ref name=Bosworth/> is the [[List of cities in Israel|third-largest city]] in Israel—after [[Jerusalem]] and [[Tel Aviv]]—with a population of {{Israel populations|Haifa}} in {{Israel populations|Year}}. The city of Haifa forms part of the [[Haifa metropolitan area]], the third-most populous metropolitan area in Israel.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 September 2020 |title=Localities, population and density per sq. km., by metropolitan area(1) and selected localities 2019 |url=https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/doclib/2020/2.shnatonpopulation/st02_25.pdf |url-status=live |website=Central Bureau of Statistics |access-date=26 April 2021 |archive-date=26 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426212743/https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/doclib/2020/2.shnatonpopulation/st02_25.pdf}}</ref> It is home to the [[Baháʼí Faith]]'s [[Baháʼí World Centre]], and is a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] and a destination for [[Baháʼí pilgrimage]].<ref name=UNESCO>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/452 |access-date=8 July 2008 |date=8 July 2008 |title=Three new sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List |author=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |archive-date=10 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080710084936/https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/452 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Built on the slopes of [[Mount Carmel]], the settlement has a history spanning more than 3,000 years. The earliest known settlement in the vicinity was [[Tell Abu Hawam]], a small port city established in the Late [[Bronze Age]] (14th century BCE).<ref name=Judaica>[[Encyclopaedia Judaica|Encyclopedia Judaica]], ''Haifa'', Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, 1972, vol. 7, pp. 1134–1139</ref> In the 3rd century CE, Haifa was known as a [[Tool and die maker|dye-making]] center. Over the millennia, the Haifa area has changed hands: being conquered and ruled by the [[Canaanites]], [[History of ancient Israel and Judah|Israelites]], [[Phoenicians]], [[Assyria]]ns, [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Babylonians]], [[Achaemenid Empire|Persians]], [[Hasmoneans]], [[Ancient Rome|Romans]], [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]], [[Arab]]s, [[Crusades|Crusaders]], [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], and the [[Mandatory Palestine|British]]. During the [[Battle of Haifa (1948)|Battle of Haifa]] in the [[1948 Palestine war]], most of the city's Arab population [[1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight|fled or were expelled]]. That year, the city became part of the then-newly-established state of Israel.

{{As of |2016}}, the city is a major [[Port of Haifa|seaport]] located on Israel's [[Israeli coastal plain|Mediterranean]] coastline in the Bay of Haifa covering {{cvt|63.7|km2|sqmi}}. It lies about {{cvt|90|km|mi|0}} north of Tel Aviv and is the major regional center of northern Israel. Two respected academic institutions, the [[University of Haifa]] and the [[Technion – Israel Institute of Technology]] the oldest and top ranked university in both Israel and the Middle East, are located in Haifa, in addition to the largest [[K–12]] school in Israel, the [[Hebrew Reali School]]. The city plays an important role in [[Economy of Israel|Israel's economy]]. It is home to [[Matam, Haifa|Matam]], one of the oldest and largest high-tech parks in the country; and prior to the opening of [[Tel Aviv Light Rail]], Haifa is the only city with [[Rapid transit|underground rapid transit system]] in Israel known as the [[Carmelit]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gav-yam.co.il/GavYam/site/gavyam/eng/items/popup.asp?fid=285&NP=361 |title=GavYam |access-date=18 February 2008 |publisher=Gav-Yam.co.il |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415132457/http://www.gav-yam.co.il/GavYam/site/gavyam/eng/items/popup.asp?fid=285&NP=361 |archive-date=15 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.touristisrael.com/carmelit-underground-train-haifa/4899/ |title=Carmelit Underground Train, Haifa |date=5 February 2012 |access-date=19 September 2016 |publisher=touristisrael.com |archive-date=20 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920072248/https://www.touristisrael.com/carmelit-underground-train-haifa/4899/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Haifa Bay is a center of [[heavy industry]], petroleum refining and chemical processing. Haifa formerly functioned as the western terminus of an [[Mosul–Haifa oil pipeline|oil pipeline from Iraq]] via [[Jordan]].<ref name=pipeline>{{cite web |last=Cohen |first=Amiram |url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=332835&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y |title=U.S. Checking Possibility of Pumping Oil from Northern Iraq to Haifa, via Jordan |work=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=6 December 2008 |archive-date=3 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603165119/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=332835&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y |url-status=live}}</ref> It is one of Israel's [[mixed cities]], with an Arab-Israeli population of c.10%.

==Etymology==
[[File:Western Haifa from the air.jpg|thumb|Western Haifa from the air]]

The ultimate origin of the name Haifa remains unclear. One theory holds it derives from the name of the high priest [[Caiaphas]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} Some Christians believe it was named for [[Saint Peter]], whose [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] name was Keipha.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} Another theory holds it could be derived from the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] verb root חפה (''hafa''), from H-f-h root (ח-פ-ה), meaning to cover or shield, i.e. Mount Carmel covers Haifa;<ref name=pardes>{{Cite book |first=Alex |last=Carmel |year=2002 |title=The History of Haifa Under Turkish Rule |edition=4th |publisher=Pardes |location=Haifa |isbn=978-965-7171-05-9 |language=he |page=14}}</ref> others point to a possible origin in the Hebrew word חוֹף (''hof''), meaning "shore", or חוֹף יָפֶה (''hof yafe''), meaning "beautiful shore".<ref name=pardes/><ref>{{cite journal |last=Amit-Kokhavi |first=Hanah |title=Haifa—sea and mountain, Arab past and Jewish present, as reflected by four writers |journal=Israel Studies |volume=2 |issue=3 |year=2006 |pages=142–167 |doi=10.1353/is.2006.0025 |s2cid=201768025| issn = 1084-9513 }}</ref>

Other spellings in English included ''Caipha'', ''Kaipha'', ''Caiffa'', ''Kaiffa'' and ''Khaifa''.<ref name=MacMillan>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_hxHAAAAIAAJ&q=khaifa+caiffa |title=Guide to Palestine and Syria: Macmillan's guides |edition=5th |publisher=Macmillan and Company |year=1910 |access-date=2 July 2011 |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528161905/https://books.google.com/books?id=_hxHAAAAIAAJ&q=khaifa+caiffa |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Locations and names==
===Sycaminum and Efa===
The earliest named settlement within the area of modern-day Haifa was the city Sycaminum.<ref name=Dumperp159 /> The remains of the ancient town can be found in a coastal [[Tell (archaeology)|tell]], or archaeological mound, known in Hebrew as {{Transliteration|he|[[Tel Shikmona]]}},<ref name=Sharon /> meaning 'mound of the [[Ficus sycomorus]]', and in Arabic as {{Transliteration|ar|Tell el-Semak}} or {{Transliteration|ar|Tell es-Samak}}, meaning 'mound of the [[sumak]] trees', names that preserved and transformed the ancient name, by which the town is mentioned once in the [[Mishnah]] (composed c. 200 CE) for the wild fruits that grow around it.<ref name=Sharon>{{cite book |last=Sharon |first=Moshe |author-link=Moshe Sharon |author2=Fondation Max van Berchem |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1d8xHcor0psC&pg=PA99 |title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae addendum: squeezes in the Max van Berchem collection (Palestine, Trans-Jordan, Northern Syria) |edition=Illustrated |publisher=BRILL |year=2007 |isbn=978-90-04-15780-4 |access-date=2 July 2011 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803014841/https://books.google.com/books?id=1d8xHcor0psC&pg=PA99 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=PEF1875 />

The name ''Efa'' first appears during [[Palestine (region)#Roman rule (63 BC)|Roman rule]], some time after the end of the 1st century, when a Roman fortress and small Jewish settlement were established not far from Tel Shikmona.<ref name=Dumperp159>{{Cite book |last1=Dumper |first1=Michael |last2=Stanley |first2=Bruce E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA159 |title=Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: a historical encyclopedia |edition=Illustrated |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-57607-919-5 |access-date=2 July 2011 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803074834/https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA159 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Sharon/> Haifa is also mentioned more than 100 times in the [[Talmud]], a work central to Judaism.<ref name=Sharon />

''Hefa'' or ''Hepha'' in [[Eusebius of Caesarea]]'s 4th-century work, ''Onomasticon'',<ref>''Onom.'' 108, 31</ref> is said to be another name for Sycaminus.<ref name=Negev>{{cite book |pages=213–214 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=27nq65cZUIgC&pg=PA213 |title=Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land |first1=Avraham |last1=Negev |first2=Shimon |last2=Gibson |edition=4th, revised, illustrated |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-8264-8571-7 |access-date=31 May 2020 |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802231716/https://books.google.com/books?id=27nq65cZUIgC&pg=PA213 |url-status=live}}</ref> This synonymizing of the names is explained by [[Moshe Sharon]], who writes that the twin ancient settlements, which he calls Haifa-Sycaminon, gradually expanded into one another, becoming a twin city known by the Greek names Sycaminon or Sycaminos Polis.<ref name=Sharon /> References to this city end with the Byzantine period.<ref name=Judaica/>

===Porphyreon===
Around the 6th century, ''Porphyreon'' or ''Porphyrea'' is mentioned in the writings of [[William of Tyre]],{{dubious|WRONG! W.o.T. lived 600 years later|date=October 2019}} and while it lies within the area covered by modern Haifa, it was a settlement situated south of Haifa-Sycaminon.<ref name=Judaica/><ref name=Sharon/>

===Early Muslim Haifa===
Following the Arab conquest in the 7th century, ''Haifa'' was used to refer to a site established on Tel Shikmona upon what were already the ruins of Sycaminon (Shiqmona).<ref name=Sharon /> Haifa (or Haifah) is mentioned by the mid-11th-century Persian chronicler [[Nasir Khusraw]], and the 12th- and 13th-century Arab chroniclers, [[Muhammad al-Idrisi]] and [[Yaqut al-Hamawi]].<ref name=Strange /> [[Nasir-i-Khusrau]] visited in 1047; he noted that "Haifa lies on the seashore, and there are here palm-gardens and trees in numbers. There are in this town shipbuilders, who build very large craft."<ref>{{cite book |author=Nasir-i-Khusrau |author-link=Nasir Khusraw |title=Vol IV. A journey through Syria and Palestine. By Nasir-i-Khusrau [1047 A.D.]. The pilgrimage of Saewulf to Jerusalem. The pilgrimage of the Russian abbot Daniel. |editor=Le Strange, Guy |editor-link=Guy Le Strange |translator=Guy Le Strange |publisher=[[Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society]] |location=London |year=1897 |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924028534281 |pages=[https://archive.org/stream/cu31924028534281#page/n48/mode/1up 19]-[https://archive.org/details/cu31924028534281/page/n49/mode/1up?view=theater 20]}}</ref>

===Crusader Caiphas===
The Crusaders, who [[Siege of Haifa (1100)|captured]] Haifa briefly in the 12th century, called it ''Caiphas'',<ref name=Dumperp159/> and believe its name related to Cephas, the Aramaic name of [[Simon Peter]].<ref name=PEF1875>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/quarterlystateme07pale/quarterlystateme07pale_djvu.txt |title=Quarterly Statement – Palestine Exploration Fund |publisher=[[Palestine Exploration Fund]] |year=1876 |access-date=2 July 2011}}</ref> Eusebius is also said to have referred to Hefa as ''Caiaphas civitas'',<ref name=Rodgersp194>{{cite book |last1=Freyne |first1=Seán |last2=Rodgers |first2=Zuleika |last3=Daly-Denton |first3=Margaret |last4=Fitzpatrick-McKinley |first4=Anne |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5I8zfmwEjjUC&pg=PA194 |title=A wandering Galilean: essays in honour of Seán Freyne |publisher=BRILL |year=2009 |isbn=978-90-04-17355-2 |access-date=2 July 2011 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803014708/https://books.google.com/books?id=5I8zfmwEjjUC&pg=PA194 |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Benjamin of Tudela]], the 12th-century Jewish traveller and chronicler, is said to have attributed the city's founding to [[Caiaphas]], the Jewish high priest at the time of Jesus.<ref name=PEF1875 />

===Late Ottoman "Old Haifa"===
{{Transliteration|apc|Haifa al-'Atiqa}} (Arabic: "Ancient Haifa") is another name used by some locals to refer to Tell es-Samak, when it was the site of a hamlet of 250 residents, before the settlement was moved in 1764–1765 to the site from which the modern city emerged.<ref name=Seikalyp15/>

===Haifa al-Jadida (New Haifa) and modern Haifa===
In 1764–1765 [[Zahir al-Umar]] moved the village to a new site {{convert|1+1/2|mi|km|round=0.5|order=flip|abbr=off}} to the east, which he also fortified.<ref name=Seikalyp15>{{cite book |page=15 |title=Haifa: Transformation of an Arab Society 1918–1939 |first=May |last=Seikaly |edition=Illustrated, reprint |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-86064-556-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XO4ECBQfh2oC&pg=PA65 |access-date=2 July 2011 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803011437/https://books.google.com/books?id=XO4ECBQfh2oC&pg=PA65 |url-status=live}}</ref> The new village, the nucleus of modern Haifa, was first called {{Transliteration|apc|al-imara al-jadida}} (Arabic: "the new construction") by some, but others residing there called it {{Transliteration|apc|Haifa al-Jadida}} ("New Haifa") at first, and then simply ''Haifa''.<ref name=Bosworth>{{Cite book |last=Bosworth |first=Clifford Edmund |pages=149–151 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UB4uSVt3ulUC&pg=PA149 |title=Historic cities of the Islamic world |edition=Illustrated |publisher=BRILL |year=2007 |isbn=978-90-04-15388-2 |access-date=2 July 2011 |archive-date=8 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408132617/https://books.google.com/books?id=UB4uSVt3ulUC&pg=PA149 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the early 20th century, Haifa al 'Atiqa was repopulated with many [[Arab Christian]]s in an overall neighborhood in which many [[Mizrahi Jews|Middle Eastern Jews]] were established inhabitants, as Haifa expanded outward from its new location.{{sfn|Seikaly|2002|p=65}}

==History==
{{main|History of Haifa}}
{{For timeline}}
[[File:Tell Abu Hawam 006.jpg|thumb|Jars excavated at Tell Abu Hawam]]

===Bronze Age: Tell Abu Hawam===
A town known today as Tell Abu Hawam was established during the Late Bronze Age (14th century BCE).<ref name=Judaica/> It was a port and fishing village.

===In the Hebrew Bible===
[[Mount Carmel]] and the [[Kishon River]] are mentioned in the [[Hebrew Bible]].<ref name=kings>{{Bibleverse|1|Kings|19:9|HE}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Kishon.html |title=Kishon |publisher=[[Encyclopedia.com]]  |access-date=20 March 2008 |archive-date=19 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219072600/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Kishon.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

A grotto on the top of Mount Carmel is known as the "Cave of Elijah",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.triptern.com/guide/haifa-Cave-of-Elijah |title=Trip Tern &#124; Cave of Elijah, Haifa |access-date=2013-04-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130615220103/http://www.triptern.com/guide/haifa-Cave-of-Elijah |archive-date=15 June 2013}}</ref> traditionally linked to the Prophet [[Elijah]] and his apprentice, Elisha.<ref name=kings/> In Arabic, the highest peak of the Carmel range is called the ''Muhraka'', or "place of burning", harking back to the burnt offerings and sacrifices there in Canaanite and early Israelite times.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bahai-library.com/ullian_israel_haifa |title=Book Excerpt: Frommer's Guide to Israel, "Haifa" |publisher=Bahai-library.com |date=21 April 1948 |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-date=18 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018182422/http://bahai-library.com/ullian_israel_haifa |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Persian and Hellenistic period: near Shikmona===
In the sixth century BCE, during the Persian period, Greek geographer [[Scylax of Caryanda|Scylax]] wrote of a city "between the bay and the Promontory of Zeus" (i.e., the Carmel), which may be a reference to [[Shikmona]], a locality in the Haifa area.<ref name=Judaica/>

By [[Hellenistic]] times, the city had moved to a new site south of what is now the [[Bat Galim]] neighborhood of modern Haifa because the old port's harbour had become blocked with sand.<ref name=Judaica/> A [[Greek language|Greek]]-speaking population living along the coast at this time was engaged in commerce.<ref>''Haifa'', The Guide to Israel, Zev Vilnay, Jerusalem, 1970, p.382</ref>

====Shikmona====
Haifa was located near the town of Shikmona, a center for making the traditional [[Tzitzit#Tekhelet|Tekhelet]] dye used in the garments of the high priests in the Temple. The [[archaeological site]] of Shikmona is southwest of Bat Galim.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mushecht.haifa.ac.il/hecht/abstract/15e/Abstracts.pdf |title=Two Tombstones from Zoar in the Hecht Museum Collection |publisher=Haifa University |access-date=25 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226230016/http://mushecht.haifa.ac.il/hecht/abstract/15e/Abstracts.pdf |archive-date=26 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Early Haifa is believed to have occupied the area which extends from the present-day [[Rambam Health Care Campus|Rambam Hospital]] to the Jewish Cemetery on Yafo Street. The inhabitants engaged in fishing and agriculture.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/aliya/pagesForPrint.aspx?pageName=History |title=Haifa Municipality – Aliya Web Site – Print Version |access-date=6 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151216125342/http://www1.haifa.muni.il/aliya/pagesForPrint.aspx?pageName=History |archive-date=16 December 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Roman period===
In about the 3rd century CE, Haifa was first mentioned in Talmudic literature, as a Jewish fishing village and the home of Rabbi [[Avdimi of Haifa|Avdimi]] and other Jewish scholars. According to the Talmud, fishermen caught [[Murex]], sea snails which yielded purple dye used to make ''[[tallit]]'' (Jewish prayer shawls) from Haifa to the [[Ladder of the Tyrians]]. Tombs dating from the Roman era, including [[Rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel|Jewish burial caves]], have been found in the area.<ref name=Judaica/><ref name=JVL>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/viehaifa.html |title=Haifa |encyclopedia=[[Jewish Virtual Library]] |access-date=20 January 2008 |date=|archive-date=10 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071210162145/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/viehaifa.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=jsource2>{{cite web |title=History & Overview of Haifa |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/history-and-overview-of-haifa |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org |access-date=20 August 2020 |archive-date=1 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701175819/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/history-and-overview-of-haifa |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Byzantine period===
Under Byzantine rule, Haifa continued to grow but did not assume major importance.<ref>{{cite book |page=213 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=27nq65cZUIgC&pg=PA213 |title=Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land |first1=Avraham |last1=Negev |first2=Shimon |last2=Gibson |edition=4th, revised, illustrated |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |date=1 July 2005 |isbn=978-0-8264-8571-7 |access-date=31 May 2020 |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802231716/https://books.google.com/books?id=27nq65cZUIgC&pg=PA213 |url-status=live}}</ref> A ''[[kinah]]'' speaks of the destruction of the Jewish community of Haifa along with other communities when the Byzantines reconquered the country from the [[Sasanian Empire]] in 628 during the [[Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628|Byzantine-Sasanian War]].<ref name=jsource2/>

===Early Muslim period===
Following the Arab conquest of Palestine in the 630s–40s, Haifa was largely overlooked in favor of the port city of [[Acre, Israel|'Akka]].<ref name=Bosworth/> Under the [[Rashidun Caliphate]], Haifa began to develop.<ref name=Grabois>{{cite journal |last=Grabois |first=Aryeh |title=Haifa and Its Settlement in the Middle Ages |journal=Ariel: Haifa and Its Sites |date=March 1985 |issue=37–39 |pages=48–49 |editor1-first=Eli |editor1-last=Shiller |editor2-first=Yossi |editor2-last=Ben-Artzi |language=he}}</ref>

In the 9th century under the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] and [[Abbasid Caliphate]]s, Haifa established trading relations with Egyptian ports and the city featured several shipyards. The inhabitants, [[Arabs]] and Jews, engaged in trade and maritime commerce. Glass production and dye-making from marine snails were the city's most lucrative industries.<ref name=Grabois/>

===Crusader, Ayyubid and Mamluk rule===
[[File:Haifa and Mount Carmel (before 1899).jpg|thumb|Mount Carmel before 1899]]
Prosperity ended in 1100 or 1101, when Haifa was besieged and blockaded by European Christians shortly after the end of the [[First Crusade]], and then conquered after a fierce battle with its Jewish inhabitants and Fatimid garrison. Jews comprised the majority of the city's population at the time.<ref name=jsource2/><ref name=AlCarmel>{{Cite book |first=Alex |last=Carmel |year=2002 |title=The History of Haifa Under Turkish Rule |edition=4th |publisher=Pardes |location=Haifa |isbn=978-965-7171-05-9 |language=he |page=17}}</ref><ref name=634to1099>{{cite book |title=A History of Palestine, 634-1099 |first=Moshe |last=Gil |year=1992 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=829 |isbn=978-0-521-40437-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tSM4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA829 |quote=Haifa was taken [...] in August 1100 or June 1101, according to Muslim sources which contradict one another. Albert of Aachen does not mention the date in a clear manner either. From what he says, it appears that it was mainly the Jewish inhabitants of the city who defended the fortress of Haifa. In his rather strange Latin style, he mentions that there was a Jewish population in Haifa, and that they fought bravely on the walls of the city. He explains that the Jews there were protected people of the Muslims (the Fatimids). They fought side by side with units of the Fatimid army, striking back at Tancred's army from above the walls of the citadel (... ''Judaei civis comixtis Sarracenorum turmis'') until the Crusaders overcame them and they were forced to abandon the walls. The Muslims and the Jews then managed to escape from the fortress with their lives, while the rest of the population fled the city ''en masse''. Whoever remained was slaughtered, and huge quantities of spoils were taken. [...] [Note #3: Albert of Aachen (Albericus, Albertus Aquensis), ''Historia Hierosolymitanae Expeditionis'', in: [[Recueil des historiens des croisades|''RHC'']] (Occ.), IV. p. 523; etc.] |access-date=17 May 2015 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803011751/https://books.google.com/books?id=tSM4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA829 |url-status=live}}</ref> Under the Crusaders, Haifa was reduced to a small fortified coastal stronghold.<ref name=AlCarmel /> It was a part of the [[Principality of Galilee]] within the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]]. Following their victory at the [[Battle of Hattin]], [[Saladin]]'s [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid]] army captured Haifa in mid-July 1187 and the city's Crusader fortress was destroyed.<ref name=Judaica/>{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=219}} [[Second Crusade|The Crusaders]] under [[Richard I of England|Richard the Lionheart]] retook Haifa in 1191.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=309}}

In the 12th century religious hermits started inhabiting the caves on Mount Carmel, and in the 13th century they formed a new Catholic monastic order, the [[Carmelites]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Origins of the Carmelites |publisher=Carmelite.org.uk |url=http://www.carmelite.org.uk/History.html |access-date=20 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510031519/http://www.carmelite.org.uk/History.html |archive-date=10 May 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Under Muslim rule, the church which they had built on Mount Carmel was turned into a mosque, later becoming a hospital. In the 19th century, it was restored as a Carmelite monastery, the [[Stella Maris Monastery]]. The altar of the church as we see it today, stands over a cave associated with Prophet Elijah.<ref name=Frommers>{{cite web |title=Stella Maris Lighthouse, Church and Carmelite Monastery |publisher=Frommers |url=http://www.frommers.com/destinations/haifa/A36285.html |access-date=11 April 2008 |url-status=live |archive-date=26 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080326201914/http://www.frommers.com/destinations/haifa/A36285.html}}</ref>

In 1265, the army of [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk]] sultan [[Baibars]] [[Fall of Haifa (1265)|captured Haifa]], destroying its fortifications, which had been rebuilt by King [[Louis IX of France]], as well as the majority of the city's homes to prevent the European Crusaders from returning.<ref name=byz>{{cite web |url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/40/c2 |title=Haifa in the Middle Ages |publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il |access-date=15 February 2008 |archive-date=15 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415121923/http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/40/c2 |url-status=live}}</ref> From the time of its conquest by the Mamluks to the 15th century, Haifa was an unfortified small village or uninhabited. At various times there were a few Jews living there and both Jews and Christians made pilgrimages to the [[Cave of Elijah]] on Mount Carmel.<ref name=jsource2/> During Mamluk rule in the 14th century, al-Idrisi wrote that Haifa served as the port for [[Tiberias]] and featured a "fine harbor for the anchorage of galleys and other vessels.<ref name=Strange>{{Cite book |title=Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500 |url=https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft/palestineundermo00lestuoft_djvu.txt |first1=Guy |last1=le Strange |year=1890 |publisher=Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund |page=446 |access-date=26 July 2009}}</ref>

===Ottoman period===
[[File:Haifa from hill side 1898.jpg|thumb|Haifa in 1898]]
Haifa was apparently uninhabited at the time the Ottoman Empire conquered Palestine in 1516. The first indication of its resettlement was given in a description by German traveller [[Leonhard Rauwolf]], who visited Palestine in 1575.<ref name=jsource2/> In 1596, Haifa appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the ''[[Nahiya]]'' of Sahil Atlit of the ''[[Liwa (Arabic)|Liwa]]'' of Lajjun. It had a population of 32 Muslim households and paid taxes on wheat, barley, summer crops, olives, and goats or beehives.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hütteroth |first1=W.-D.|author-link1=Wolf-Dieter Hütteroth  |first2=K. | last2=Abdulfattah |author-link2=Kamal Abdulfattah |title=Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century |year=1977 |publisher=Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft |page=158}}</ref> Haifa was subsequently mentioned in the accounts of travelers as a half-ruined impoverished village with few inhabitants. The expansion of commercial trade between Europe and Palestine in the 17th century saw Haifa's revival as a flourishing port as more ships began docking there rather than [[Acre, Israel|Acre]].<ref name=JVL/>

In 1742, Haifa was a small village and had a Jewish community composed mainly of immigrants from [[Morocco]] and [[Algeria]] which had a synagogue.<ref name=JVL/> It had 250 inhabitants in 1764–5. It was located at Tell el-Semak, the site of ancient Sycaminum.<ref name=Seikalyp15/><ref name=Hohlfelderp42>{{cite book |last=Hohlfelder |first=Robert L. |page=42 |title=Mediterranean cities: historical perspectives |editor1=Irad Malkin |editor2=Robert L. Hohlfelder |edition=Illustrated, annotated, reprint |publisher=Routledge |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-7146-3353-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CZt8xkmEwVwC&pg=PA42 |access-date=2 July 2011 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803000733/https://books.google.com/books?id=CZt8xkmEwVwC&pg=PA42 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1765, [[Zahir al-Umar]], the Arab ruler of Acre and the [[Galilee]], moved the population to a new fortified site {{cvt|1.5|mi|km|abbr=off}} to the east and laid waste to the old site.<ref name=Seikalyp15/><ref>Haifa in the Late Ottoman Period, 1864–1914: A Muslim Town in Transition By Mahmud Yazbak BRILL, 1998, {{ISBN|978-90-04-11051-9}} p 14</ref> According to historian Moshe Sharon, the new Haifa was established by Zahir in 1769.<ref>{{cite book |title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae: H-I |volume=5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X1uNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA263 |first=Moshe |last=Sharon |author-link=Moshe Sharon |year=2013 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-25481-7 |page=262 |access-date=25 June 2015 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803025047/https://books.google.com/books?id=X1uNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA263 |url-status=live}}</ref> This event marked the beginning of modern Haifa.<ref name=Seikalyp15/> After al-Umar's death in 1775, the town remained under Ottoman rule until 1918, with the exception of two brief periods.

In 1799, [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]] conquered Haifa during his unsuccessful campaign to conquer Palestine and [[Syria]], but he soon had to withdraw; in the campaign's [[French Campaign in Egypt and Syria#Acre|final proclamation]], Napoleon took credit for having razed the fortifications of "Kaïffa" (as the name was spelled at the time) along with those of [[Gaza City|Gaza]], [[Jaffa]] and Acre.
[[File:HaifaColony.jpg|left|thumb|[[German Colony, Haifa|German Colony]] in the 19th century]]

Between 1831 and 1840, the Egyptian viceroy [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali]] governed Haifa, after his son [[Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt|Ibrahim Pasha]] had wrested control over it from the Ottomans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/37/c2 |title=Haifa during the British Mandate Period |publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il |access-date=15 February 2008 |archive-date=15 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415121907/http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/37/c2 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=modern>{{cite web |url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/38/c2 |title=Modern Haifa |access-date=15 February 2008 |publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il |archive-date=15 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415121913/http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/38/c2 |url-status=live}}</ref> When the Egyptian occupation ended and Acre declined, the importance of Haifa rose. In 1858, the walled city of Haifa was overcrowded and the first houses began to be built outside the city walls on the mountain slope.<ref name=JVL/> The British Survey of Western Palestine estimated Haifa's population to be about 3,000 in 1859.<ref>Carmel, Alex: ''Ottoman Haifa: A History of Four Centuries under Turkish Rule'' (2010)</ref>

Haifa remained majority Muslim throughout this time but a small Jewish community continued to exist there. In 1798, Rabbi [[Nachman of Breslov]] spent [[Rosh Hashanah]] with the Jewish community of Haifa. In 1839 the Jewish population numbered 124.<ref>[[Encyclopaedia Judaica|Encyclopedia Judaica]], ''Haifa'', Keter Publishing, Jerusalem, 1972, vol. 7, p. 1137.</ref> Due to the growing influence of the Carmelite monks, Haifa's Christian population also grew. By 1840 approximately 40% of the inhabitants were Christian Arabs.<ref name=jsource2/>

[[File:Location of Haifa German Templar Colony in the PEF Survey of Palestine.png|thumb|The new [[German Colony, Haifa]] is shown prominently in the 1880 [[PEF Survey of Palestine]] map.]]
The arrival of German messianics, many of whom were [[Templers (religious believers)|Templers]], in 1868, who settled in what is now known as the [[German Colony, Haifa|German Colony]], was a turning point in Haifa's development.<ref name=modern/> The Templers built and operated a steam-based [[power station]], opened factories and inaugurated carriage services to Acre, [[Nazareth]] and Tiberias, playing a key role in modernizing the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://schumacher.haifa.ac.il/templers.htm |title=Templers |access-date=27 January 2008 |publisher=University of Haifa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701120321/http://schumacher.haifa.ac.il/templers.htm |archive-date=1 July 2007}}</ref>
[[File:Haifa 1942.jpg|thumb|right|Haifa 1942 1:20,000]]

The first major wave of Jewish immigration to Haifa took place in the mid-19th century from Morocco, with a smaller wave of immigration from [[Turkey]] a few years later.<ref name=History>{{cite web |last=Gaon |first=Moshe David |url=https://www.hebrewbooks.org/36725 |title=The History of the Sephardi Jews in Israel |access-date=22 May 2021 |archive-date=8 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808044114/https://www.hebrewbooks.org/36725 |url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1870s, large numbers of Jewish and Arab migrants came to Haifa due to the town's growing prosperity. Jews constituted one-eighth of Haifa's population, almost all of whom were recent immigrants from Morocco and Turkey who lived in the Jewish Quarter, which was located in the eastern part of the town. Continued Jewish immigration gradually raised the Jewish population of Haifa, and included a small number of [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] families, most of whom opened hotels for Jewish migrants coming into the city. In 1875, the Jewish community of Haifa held its own census which counted the Jewish population at about 200.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DPseCvbPsKsC&pg=PA107 |title=Haifa in the Late Ottoman Period, 1864–1914: A Muslim Town in Transition |isbn=978-90-04-11051-9 |last1=Yazbak |first1=Mahmoud |last2=Yazbak |first2=Maḥmūd |year=1998 |publisher=BRILL |access-date=11 November 2020 |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528161938/https://books.google.com/books?id=DPseCvbPsKsC&pg=PA107 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[First Aliyah]] of the late 19th century and the [[Second Aliyah]] of the early 20th century saw Jewish immigrants, mainly from Eastern Europe, arrive in Haifa in significant numbers. In particular, a significant number of Jewish immigrants from [[Romania]] settled in Haifa in the 1880s during the First Aliyah period. The Central Jewish Colonisation Society in Romania purchased over {{cvt|1000|acre|km2}} near Haifa. As the Jewish settlers had been city dwellers, they hired the former [[fellah]]in tenants to instruct them in agriculture.<ref>Oliphant, Laurence. (1886) ''Haifa, or Life in Modern Palestine''. Adamant Media Corporation, pp. 11–12</ref> The Jewish population rose from 1,500 in 1900 to 3,000 on the eve of [[World War I]].<ref>Carmel, Alex: ''Ottoman Haifa: A History of Four Centuries under Turkish Rule''</ref>

[[File:PikiWiki Israel 4802 Haifa 1930.jpg|thumb|View of Haifa from Mount Carmel in 1930]]In the early 20th century, Haifa began to emerge as an industrial port city and growing population center. A branch of the [[Hejaz Railway]], known as the [[Jezreel Valley railway]], was built between 1903 and 1905. The railway increased the city's volume of trade, and attracted workers and foreign merchants.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Hijaz-Palestine Railway and the Development of Haifa | website=Institute for Palestine Studies | date=1905-10-15 | url=https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/77910 | access-date=2025-05-29}}</ref> In 1912, construction began on the Technion Institute of Technology, a Jewish technical school that was to later become one of Israel's top universities, although studies did not begin until 1924.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Devine |first1=Mary Elizabeth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tntEAgAAQBAJ&dq=1912,+construction+began+on+the+Technion+Institute+of+Technology,&pg=PA391 |title=International Dictionary of University Histories |last2=Summerfield |first2=Carol |date=2 December 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-26217-5 |language=en}}</ref> The Jews of Haifa also founded numerous factories and cultural institutions.

==== Baháʼí faith's shrine ====
In 1909, Haifa became important to the [[Baháʼí Faith]] when the remains of the [[Báb]], founder of the Bábí Faith and forerunner of [[Baháʼu'lláh]] in the Baháʼí Faith, were moved from Acre to Haifa and [[Shrine of the Báb|interred in the shrine]] built on Mount Carmel. Baháʼís consider the shrine to be their second holiest place on Earth after the [[Shrine of Baháʼu'lláh]] in Acre. Its precise location on Mount Carmel was shown by Baháʼu'lláh himself to his eldest son, [[ʻAbdu'l-Bahá]], in 1891. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá planned the structure, which was designed and completed several years later by his grandson, [[Shoghi Effendi]]. In a separate room, the [[Shrine of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá|remains of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá]] were buried in November 1921.<ref>{{cite news |title=Golden anniversary of the Queen of Carmel |url=http://news.bahai.org/story/252 |publisher=Baháʼí World News Service |date=12 October 2003 |access-date=12 May 2007 |archive-date=26 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526195914/http://news.bahai.org/story/252 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===British Mandate===
{{Further|Battle of Haifa (1918)}}
[[File:Indian lancers in Haifa 1918.jpg|thumb|Indian troops marching in Haifa in 1918]]
[[File:Kings Way in Haifa 2.jpg|thumb|right|Kingsway (now HaAtzmaut Road) in the 1930s]]
[[File:חיפה - מראה חלקי-JNF013403.jpeg|thumb|Haifa 1945]]
Haifa was captured from the Ottomans in September 1918 by Indian horsemen of the British Army armed with spears and swords who overran Ottoman positions.<ref name=India>{{cite web |last=Eyadat |first=Fadi |url=https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/on-haifa-day-india-salutes-wwi-troops-1.315380 |title=On Haifa Day India salutes World War I troops |work=Haaretz |date=24 September 2010 |access-date=24 March 2013 |archive-date=2 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102100519/http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/on-haifa-day-india-salutes-wwi-troops-1.315380 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 22 September, British troops were heading to Nazareth when a reconnaissance report was received indicating that the Turks were leaving Haifa. The British made preparations to enter the city and came under fire in the [[Balad al-Sheikh]] district (today [[Nesher]]). After the British regrouped, an elite unit of Indian horsemen were sent to attack the Turkish positions on the flanks and overrun their artillery guns on Mount Carmel.<ref name=India/>

Under the [[Mandate for Palestine|British Mandate]], Haifa saw large-scale development and became an industrial port city.<ref name=modern/><ref>{{cite book |author1=Michael Dumper |author2=Bruce E. Stanley |title=Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA161 |year=2007 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-57607-919-5 |pages=161– |access-date=1 July 2015 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803001340/https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA161 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Baháʼí Faith]] in 1918 and today has its administrative and spiritual centre in the environs of Haifa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.homestead.com/watsongregory/files/knighthood.html |title=Knighthood&nbsp;— Sir ʻAbdu'l-Bahá ʻAbbas Effendi |access-date=17 October 2013 |archive-date=18 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018154241/http://www.homestead.com/watsongregory/files/knighthood.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.upliftingwords.org/bahai-faith-articles/abdul-baha-the-master |publisher=Uplifting Words |title=ʻAbdu'l-Baha |date=26 December 2018 |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-date=26 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226232742/https://www.upliftingwords.org/bahai-faith-articles/abdul-baha-the-master |url-status=live}}</ref> Many Jewish immigrants of the [[Fourth Aliyah]] and [[Fifth Aliyah]] settled in Haifa. The port was a major source of income, and the nearby Jewish towns of the [[Krayot]] were established in the 1930s. At the same time, the Arab population also swelled by an influx of migrants, coming mainly from surrounding villages as well as the Syrian [[Hauran]].<ref name=Schulze98>Reinhard Schulze. ''A modern history of the Islamic world''. p.98.</ref> The Arab immigration mainly came as a result of prices and salary drop.<ref name=Schulze98 /> The [[1922 census of Palestine]], conducted by the British authorities, recorded Haifa's population as 24,634 (9,377 Muslims, 8,863 Christians, 6,230 Jews, 152 [[Baháʼí Faith|Baha'i]], and 12 [[Druze]]).<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/PalestineCensus1922 |title=Palestine Census ( 1922)}}</ref> By the time of the [[1931 census of Palestine]], this had increased to 50,403 (20,324 Muslims, 15,923 Jews, 13,824 Christians, 196 Baha'i, 126 Druze, and 10 with no religion).<ref>Bosworth, C. Edmund: ''Historic Cities of the Islamic World''</ref><ref name=Census1922>{{harvnb|Barron|1923|p= [https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n8/mode/1up 10]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/palestine-census-1931 |title=Palestine Census 1931}}</ref> Between the censuses of 1922 and 1931, the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian populations rose by 217%, 256%, and 156%, respectively.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=J. B. |editor-last=Barron |title=Palestine: Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922 |publisher=Government of Palestine |year=1923 |at=[https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n35/mode/1up Table XI ]}}; {{cite book |editor=E. Mills |title=Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas |publisher=Government of Palestine |location=Jerusalem |year=1932 |page=91}}</ref> In 1938, 99,000 people (including 48,000 Jews) lived in Haifa.{{sfn|Seikaly|2002|p=51}}<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VillageStatistics1938orig.pdf |title=Village Statistics |year=1938 |pages=24}}</ref>

Haifa's development owed much to British plans to make it a central port and hub for Middle-East crude oil. The British Government of Palestine developed the port and built [[Consolidated Refineries|refineries]], thereby facilitating the rapid development of the city as a center for the country's heavy industries. Haifa was also among the first towns to be fully electrified. The Palestine Electric Company inaugurated the Haifa Electrical Power Station already in 1925, opening the door to considerable industrialization.<ref>Shamir, Ronen (2013) ''Current Flow: The Electrification of Palestine''. Stanford: Stanford University Press</ref> The State-run [[Palestine Railways]] also built its main workshops in Haifa.

By 1945 the population was 138,300 (75,500 Jews, 35,940 Muslims, 26,570 Christians, and 290 "other").<ref>Supplement to a Survey of Palestine (p. 12–13) which was prepared by the British Mandate for [[United Nations|the United Nations]] in 1946–47.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/aliya/pages.aspx?pageName=History |title=Haifa Municipality – Aliya Web Site |publisher=.haifa.muni.il |access-date=13 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012143611/http://www1.haifa.muni.il/aliya/pages.aspx?pageName=History |archive-date=12 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VillageStatistics1945orig.pdf |title=Village Statistics |year=1945 |pages=13}}</ref> In 1947, about 70,910 Arabs (41,000 Muslims and 29,910 Christians) and 74,230 Jews were living there.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Maps/Story574.html |title=Supplement to a Survey of Palestine |access-date=11 April 2008 |archive-date=14 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814220537/http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Maps/Story574.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The Christian community were mostly [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church|Greek-Melkite Catholics]].

===1947–1948 Civil War in Palestine===
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 20690 The Palmach.jpg|thumb|upright|Haifa July 1947. British soldiers remove injured passenger from [[SS Exodus]]]]{{Further|Battle of Haifa (1948)}}
The [[United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine|1947 UN Partition Plan]] in late November 1947 designated Haifa as part of the proposed [[Jewish state]]. Arab protests over that decision evolved into violence between Jews and Arabs that left several dozen people dead during December.<ref>Palestine Post, many issues December 1947.</ref> The Arab city was in a state of chaos. The local Arab national committee tried to stabilize the situation by organizing garrison, calming the frightened residents and to stop the flight. In a public statement, the national committee called upon the Arab residents to obey orders, be alert, keep calm, and added: "Keep away the cowards who wish to flee. Expell them from your lines. Despise them, because they harm more than the enemy". Despite the efforts, Arab residents abandoned the streets which bordered Jewish neighborhoods and during the days of the general strike instigated by the [[Arab Higher Committee]], some 250 Arab families abandoned the Khalisa neighborhood.<ref>[[Yoav Gelber]], ''Independence Versus Nakba''; Kinneret–Zmora-Bitan–Dvir Publishing, 2004, {{ISBN|978-965-517-190-7}}, pp.136–137</ref>

On 30 December 1947, members of the [[Irgun]], a Jewish underground militia, threw bombs into a crowd of Arabs outside the gates of the [[Consolidated Refineries]] in Haifa, killing six and injuring 42. In response, Arab employees of the company killed 39 Jewish employees in what became known as the [[Haifa Oil Refinery massacre]].<ref>{{Citation |title=The Israel/Palestine Question |author-link=Ilan Pappé |first=Ilan |last=Pappé |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-415-16947-9}}</ref> The Jewish [[Haganah]] militia retaliated with a raid on the Arab village of [[Balad al-Shaykh]], where many of the Arab refinery workers lived, in what became known as the [[Balad al-Shaykh massacre]].<ref>Benny Morris, ''The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited'', p101.</ref>

[[British Armed Forces|British forces]] in Haifa redeployed on 21 April 1948, withdrawing from most of the city while still maintaining control over the port facilities. According to Ilan Pappé, although the Jewish mayor of the city, [[Shabtai Levy]], urged the Arab residents to stay, in other parts of town loudspeakers could be heard ordering Arabs to leave "before it's too late."<ref>Pappe, Ilan. ''The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine'', p. 95</ref>

On 21 April, the downtown, controlled by a combination of local and foreign (ALA) Arab irregulars, was assaulted by [[Yishuv|Jewish]] forces in [[Battle of Haifa (1948)|Operation Bi'ur Hametz]] by the [[Barak Armored Brigade|Carmeli Brigade]] of the Haganah, commanded by [[Moshe Carmel]]. Arab neighborhoods were attacked with mortars and gunfire,<ref name="Eugene Rogan 2012 330">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LILdBDrm-ksC&q=eugene+rogan+history+of+arabs|title=The Arabs: A History – Third Edition|author=Eugene Rogan|page=330|publisher=Penguin|year=2012|isbn=9780718196837 }}</ref> which, according to [[Ilan Pappé]], culminated in an attack on a Palestinian crowd in the old marketplace using three-inch (76&nbsp;mm) mortars on 22 April 1948.<ref>Pappé, Ilan (1992). ''The Making of the Arab Israeli Conflict 1947–1951''. I B Tauris, p.72 {{ISBN|978-1-85043-819-9}}</ref><ref>Morris, Benny (2001). "Revisiting the Palestinian exodus of 1948", in ''The War for Palestine: Rewriting the History of 1948'' (pp. 37–59). Cambridge: [[Cambridge University Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0-521-79476-3}}</ref><ref>Pappe, Ilan. ''The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine'', p. 96, citing Zadok Eshel, "The Carmeli Brigade in the War of Independence", p. 147.</ref>

[[Rashid al-Haj Ibrahim]], a Palestinian Arab municipal leader, described attacks "provoking terror among the women and children, who were very influenced by [[w:Deir Yassin massacre|the horrors of Dayr Yasin]]", and provided an eyewitness account of the flight of Haifa's Arab residents:<ref name="Eugene Rogan 2012 330"/>

{{cquote|Thousands of women, children and men hurried to the port district in a state of chaos and terror without precedent in the history of the Arab nation. They fled their houses to the coast, barefoot and naked, to wait for their turn to travel to Lebanon. They left their homeland, their houses, their possessions, their money, their welfare, and their trades, to surrender their dignity and their souls.}}

The operation led to a massive displacement of Haifa's Arab population, and was part of the larger [[1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight]]. According to ''The Economist'' at the time, only 5,000–6,000 of the city's 62,000 Arabs remained there by 2 October 1948.<ref name=Refugee>{{cite web |url=http://www.mideastweb.org/refugees1.htm |title=The Palestine Refugee Problem |publisher=Mideastweb.org |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-date=1 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501153754/http://www.mideastweb.org/refugees1.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Morris quotes British sources as stating that during the battles between 22 and 23 April 100 Arabs were killed and 100 wounded, but he adds that the total may have been higher.<ref>Morris, Benny (1987), ''The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947–1949''. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-521-33028-2}}. Page 315. Quoting CP v/4/102, Stockwell Report. He comments: "Nor is there any evidence that a "massacre" took place in the town."</ref>

Historian [[Walid Khalidi]] described "the mass exodus of Haifa’s Arab population" as "the spontaneous reaction to the ruthless combination of terror and psychological warfare tactics adopted by the Haganah during the attack."[https://www.palestine-studies.org/sites/default/files/attachments/jps-articles/haifa.pdf]

===State of Israel===
[[File:Haifa Bay.JPG|thumb|left|View of Haifa Bay from Mount Carmel in 2004]]

After the [[Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel]] on 14 May 1948 Haifa became the gateway for Jewish immigration into Israel. During the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]], the neighborhoods of Haifa were sometimes contested. After the war, Jewish immigrants were settled in new neighborhoods, among them [[Kiryat Haim|Kiryat Hayim]], Ramot Remez, Ramat Shaul, [[Kiryat Sprinzak]], and [[Kiryat Eliezer, Haifa|Kiryat Eliezer]]. [[Bnai Zion Medical Center|Bnei Zion Hospital]] (formerly [[Rothschild family|Rothschild]] Hospital) and the Central Synagogue in [[Hadar HaCarmel]] date from this period. In 1953, a master plan was created for transportation and the future architectural layout.<ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite web |title=History since Independence |access-date=9 April 2008 |url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/36/c2 |publisher=Haifa Municipality |archive-date=12 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212183755/http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/36/c2 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1959, a group of [[Sephardi]] and Mizrahi Jews, mostly [[Moroccan Jews]], [[Wadi Salib riots|rioted]] in [[Wadi Salib]], claiming the state was discriminating against them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtStEngPE.jhtml?itemNo=1099078&contrassID=2&subContrassID=15&title=%27The%20Makings%20of%20History%20%2F%20So%20much%20for%20the%20melting%20pot%20%27&dyn_server=172.20.5.5|title=So much for the melting pot, Tom Segev|access-date=30 July 2009|archive-date=8 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808024256/https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtStEngPE.jhtml?itemNo=1099078&contrassID=2&subContrassID=15&title=%27The%20Makings%20of%20History%20%2F%20So%20much%20for%20the%20melting%20pot%20%27&dyn_server=172.20.5.5|url-status=dead}}</ref> Their demand for "bread and work" was directed at the state institutions and what they viewed as an Ashkenazi elite in the [[Israeli Labor Party|Labor Party]] and the [[Histadrut]].<ref name=Johal/>

Tel Aviv gained in status, while Haifa suffered a decline in the role as regional capital. The opening of [[Ashdod]] as a port exacerbated this. Tourism shrank when the Israeli Ministry of Tourism placed emphasis on developing Tiberias as a tourist centre.<ref>Kellerman, Aharon (1993) Society and Settlement: Jewish [[Land of Israel]] in the Twentieth Century SUNY Press, {{ISBN|978-0-7914-1295-4}} p 236</ref> Nevertheless, Haifa's population had reached 200,000 by the early 1970s, and mass immigration from the [[Post-Soviet states|former Soviet Union]] boosted the population by a further 35,000.<ref name=modern/> The Matam high-tech park, the first dedicated high-tech park in Israel, opened in Haifa in the 1970s. Many of Wadi Salib's historic Ottoman buildings have now been demolished, and in the 1990s a major section of the Old City was razed to make way for a new municipal center.<ref name=modern/><ref name=Johal>{{cite web |title=Sifting Through the Ruins: Historic Wadi Salib Under Pressure. |first=Am |last=Johal |publisher=Media Monitors Network |date=18 August 2004 |url=http://usa.mediamonitors.net/headlines/sifting_through_the_ruins_historic_wadi_salib_under_pressure |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928015832/http://usa.mediamonitors.net/headlines/sifting_through_the_ruins_historic_wadi_salib_under_pressure |archive-date=28 September 2007}}</ref>

From 1999 to 2003, several [[List of Palestinian suicide attacks|Palestinian suicide attacks]] took place in Haifa (in [[Maxim restaurant suicide bombing|Maxim]] and [[Matza restaurant suicide bombing|Matza]] restaurants, [[Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing|bus 37]], and others), killing 68 civilians. In 2006, Haifa was hit by 93 [[Hezbollah armed strength|Hezbollah rockets]] during the [[2006 Lebanon War|Second Lebanon War]], killing 11 civilians and leading to half of the city's population fleeing at the end of the first week of the war.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5318424.stm |title=In focus: Haifa |access-date=9 April 2008 |work=BBC News |date=6 September 2006 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806173551/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5318424.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> Among the places hit by rockets were a train depot and the oil refinery complex.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3276392,00.html |title=8 killed in rocket attack on Haifa – Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=20 June 1995 |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=14 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314214958/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3276392,00.html |url-status=live |last1=Raved |first1=Ahiya}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/840990.html |title=Katyusha rocket hit Haifa oil refineries complex during Second Lebanon War |work=Haaretz |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-date=24 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724135023/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/840990.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{historical populations
|title=City of Haifa population by year<ref name=demographics>{{cite web |url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Dmgrp/Y2006/Download/DemographyDL.pdf |title=Demography |publisher=Haifa Municipality |access-date=22 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409211913/http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Dmgrp/Y2006/Download/DemographyDL.pdf |archive-date=9 April 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Data based on Ben-Arieh "Population of the Towns", as reproduced in Ben-Arieh Jerusalem page 466</ref>
|percentages=
|1800 |1,000
|1840 |2,000
|1880 |6,000
|1914 |20,000
|1922 |24,600
|1947 |145,140
|1961 |183,021
|1972 |219,559
|1983 |225,775
|1995 |255,914
|2008 |264,407
|2016 |279,600
}}
[[File:Downtown Haifa including the port and the sail tower.jpg|thumb|left|Downtown Haifa and port with the [[Sail Tower]] in the foreground]]
Haifa is Israel's third-largest city, consisting of 103,000 households,<ref name="pop">{{cite web |title=Haifa |url=http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Aliyah/About+Israel/Cities/Haifa+9.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234156/http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Aliyah/About%2BIsrael/Cities/Haifa%2B9.htm |archive-date=26 September 2007 |access-date=5 May 2007 |publisher=[[Jewish Agency for Israel|Jewish Agency]]}}</ref> or a population of {{Israel populations|Haifa}}. Immigrants from the former [[Soviet Union]] constitute 25% of Haifa's population,<ref name=Stats2003>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf |title=The Arab Population of Israel 2003 |access-date=3 January 2008 |publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201024709/http://www.cbs.gov.il/statistical/arab_pop03e.pdf |archive-date=1 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> thus making Russian one of the three main spoken languages of the city.

According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, [[Arab citizens of Israel|Israeli Arabs]] constitute 10% of Haifa's population, the majority living in the [[Wadi Nisnas]], Abbas and Khalisa neighborhoods.<ref name="Stats2003" /> The [[Wadi Nisnas]] and Abbas neighborhoods are largely [[Christianity in Israel|Christian]],<ref name="auto1">{{cite book |title=Everyday Life in the Segmented City |first=Lorenzo |last=Tripodi |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-78052-258-6 |page=74 |publisher=Emerald Group Publishing |quote=}}</ref><ref name="Daniel Lefkowitz">{{cite book |title=Words and Stones: The Politics of Language and Identity in Israel |first=Daniel |last=Lefkowitz |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-19-802843-7 |page=49 |publisher=Oxford University Press |quote=}}</ref> Khalisa and [[Kababir]] are largely [[Islam in Israel|Muslim]],<ref name="Daniel Lefkowitz" /> while [[Ein HaYam (Wadi al-Jimal)|Ein HaYam]] is a mixed [[Arab Christian]] and Muslim neighborhood.<ref name="Daniel Lefkowitz" /> Haifa is commonly portrayed as a model of co-existence between Arabs and Jews, although tensions and hostility do still exist.<ref>Faier, Elizabeth (2005) ''Organizations, Gender, and the Culture of Palestinian Activism in Haifa, Israel: fieldwork and Palestinians in Israel New venues: nongovernmental organizations and social change Activism: support, conflict, and ideas Two tales of a city: history, space, and identity Honor, land, and protest ...'' Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0-415-94951-4}}</ref>

Between 1994 and 2009, the city had a declining and [[Population ageing|aging population]] compared to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as young people moved to the center of the country for education and jobs, while young families migrated to [[Bedroom community|bedroom communities]] in the suburbs. However, as a result of new projects and improving infrastructure, the city managed to reverse its population decline, reducing emigration while attracting more internal migration into the city. In 2009, positive net immigration into the city was shown for the first time in 15 years.<ref name=Monocle/><ref name=demo>{{cite web |url=https://urbaneconomics.blogspot.com/2006/12/is-haifa-aging.html |publisher=urbaneconomics.blogspot.com |title=Is Haifa Ageing? |access-date=10 February 2008 |date=6 December 2006 |work=Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Abstract of Israel, no. 56, 2005 |archive-date=8 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708071520/http://urbaneconomics.blogspot.com/2006/12/is-haifa-aging.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

A development plan approved in 2016 seeks to raise Haifa's population to 330,000 residents by 2025.<ref name=globes>{{cite news |title=Haifa plans for 55,000 more residents by 2025 |url=https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-new-haifa-outline-plan-55000-more-residents-by-2025-1001159957 |website=Globes |language=en |date=11 August 2016 |access-date=3 January 2021 |archive-date=8 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808031333/https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-new-haifa-outline-plan-55000-more-residents-by-2025-1001159957 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Religious and ethnic communities===
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 10223 great synagogue in haifa.jpg|thumb|Great Synagogue of Haifa]]
[[File:St. Elias Cathedral, front view (Haifa, 2012).jpg|thumb|[[St. Elijah Cathedral, Haifa]]; episcopal see of the [[Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Akka|Archeparchy of Akka]].]]
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 66591 the ahmadim mosque.jpg|thumb|[[Mahmood Mosque, Haifa|Mahmood Mosque]] built by the [[Ahmadiyya]] Muslim community in Haifa]]
The population is heterogeneous. [[Israeli Jews]] comprise some 82% of the population, almost 14% are [[Christians in Israel|Christians]] (the majority of whom are [[Arab Christians]])<ref name=demo/> and, some 4% are [[Islam in Israel|Muslims]]. Haifa also includes [[Druze]] and [[Baháʼí Faith]] communities. In 2006, 27% of the Arab population was aged 14 and under, compared to 17% of the Jewish and other population groups. The trend continues in the age 15–29 group, in which 27% of the Arab population is found, and the age 30–44 group (23%). The population of Jews and others in these age groups are 22% and 18% respectively. Nineteen percent of the city's Jewish and other population is between 45 and 59, compared to 14% of the Arab population. This continues with 14% of Jews and others aged 60–74 and 10% over age 75, in comparison to 7% and just 2% respectively in the Arab population.<ref name=demographics/> Arabs in Haifa tend to be wealthier and better educated compare to other Arabs elsewhere in Israel.<ref name=NYT01416/>

Haifa is home to the second-largest Arab Christian community in Israel,<ref name=Christian2020>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/mediarelease/DocLib/2019/400/11_19_400e.pdf |title=Christmas 2019 – Christians in Israel |date=29 December 2019 |publisher=Central Bureau of Statistics (Israel) |access-date=26 April 2022 |archive-date=9 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109084141/https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/mediarelease/DocLib/2019/400/11_19_400e.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> many of them lives in the Arabic-speaking neighborhoods in the lowlands near the sea; neighborhoods such as [[German Colony, Haifa|German Colony]], [[Wadi Nisnas]] and Abbas, are largely [[Christianity in Israel|Arab Christian]].<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="Daniel Lefkowitz"/> There are also a significant number of wealthy Christian Arabs in the [[Hadar HaCarmel|Hadar West]] and Central.<ref name="Daniel Lefkowitz"/> The Christian communities of Haifa are varied and included various denominations, the most prominent among them the [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church|Melkite Greek Catholic]], followed by [[Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem|Greek Orthodox]], [[Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem|Latin Catholics]], [[Maronites]], [[Armenian Orthodox]], and [[Protestants]].<ref>{{cite book |title=European Cultural Diplomacy and Arab Christians in Palestine, 1918–1948: Between Contention and Connection |first=Sary |last=Zananiri |year=2020 |isbn=978-3-030-55540-5 |page=129 |publisher=Springer Nature |quote=}}</ref> The Christian Arab communities in Haifa tend to be wealthier and better educated compare to other Arabs elsewhere in Israel.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Israeli Palestinians: An Arab Minority in the Jewish State |first=Alexander |last=Bligh |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-135-76077-9 |page=132 |publisher=Routledge |quote=}}</ref> The [[Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Akka]] is based in Haifa, and its cathedral episcopal see is [[St. Elijah Cathedral, Haifa|St. Elijah Greek-Melkite Cathedral]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://catholicchurch-holyland.com/?p=3811 |title=The Catholic Church Of The Holy Land » Parishes Greek Melkite Catholic Archeparchy of Akko |website=catholicchurch-holyland.com |access-date=2016-05-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323032025/http://catholicchurch-holyland.com/?p=3811 |archivedate=2016-03-23}}</ref>

Following [[Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon#2000 Israeli withdrawal|Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon]] in 2000, some former [[South Lebanon Army]] soldiers and officers who fled from Lebanon settled in Haifa with [[Lebanese people in Israel|their families]].<ref name="Shachmon 2019">{{Cite journal |last1=Shachmon |first1=Ori |last2=Mack |first2=Merav |date=2019 |title=The Lebanese in Israel – Language, Religion and Identity |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.13173/zeitdeutmorggese.169.2.0343 |journal=Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft |volume=169 |issue=2 |pages=343–366 |doi=10.13173/zeitdeutmorggese.169.2.0343 |jstor=10.13173/zeitdeutmorggese.169.2.0343 |s2cid=211647029 |issn=0341-0137 |access-date=1 May 2022 |archive-date=20 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020065138/https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.13173/zeitdeutmorggese.169.2.0343 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In 2006, 2.9% of the Jews in the city were [[Haredi Judaism|Haredi]], compared to 7.5% on a national scale.<ref name=demographics/> However, the Haredi community in Haifa is growing fast due to a high fertility rate.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hoval |first=Revital |url=https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/secular-residents-worry-about-haifa-neighborhood-turning-into-another-bnei-brak-1.381844 |title=Secular residents worry about Haifa neighborhood turning into 'another Bnei Brak' |work=Haaretz |date=1 September 2011 |access-date=24 March 2013 |archive-date=10 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310012152/http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/secular-residents-worry-about-haifa-neighborhood-turning-into-another-bnei-brak-1.381844 |url-status=live}}</ref> 66.6% were secular, compared to a national average of 43.7%.<ref name=demographics/> There is also a Scandinavian Seamen Protestant church, established by Norwegian [[Righteous Among the Nations]] pastor [[Per Faye-Hansen]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1959/10/11/archives/lutheran-tells-here-of-israel-pastorate.html "Lutheran Tells Here Of Israel Pastorate"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 11, 1959. Accessed September 17, 2025. "A Hebrew-speaking Lutheran minister from Israel arrived in New York last week for a two-month visit in the United States. He is the Rev. Per Faye Hansen, pastor of the Scandinavian Seamen's Church in Haifa since 1949."</ref>

Haifa is the center of liberal [[Arab culture|Arabic-speaking culture]], as it was under British colonial rule. The Arabic-speaking neighborhoods, which are mixed Muslim and Christian, are in the lowlands near the sea, while Jewish neighborhoods are at a higher elevation. An active Arab cultural life has developed in the 21st century.<ref name=NYT01416>{{cite news |last=Hadid |first=Diaa |title=In Israeli City of Haifa, a Liberal Palestinian Culture Blossoms |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/world/middleeast/in-israeli-city-of-haifa-a-liberal-palestinian-culture-blossoms.html |access-date=4 January 2016 |work=The New York Times |date=4 January 2016 |archive-date=2 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502175750/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/world/middleeast/in-israeli-city-of-haifa-a-liberal-palestinian-culture-blossoms.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The city is the center of many Arab-owned businesses such as theaters, bars, cafes, restaurants and [[nightclub]]s which also host different cultural discussions and art exhibitions.<ref name=NYT01416/>

==Geography==
Haifa is situated on the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain, the [[Via Maris|historic land bridge]] between Europe, Africa, and Asia, and the mouth of the Kishon River.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=1504 |title=Haifa, Israel |publisher=Timeanddate.com |access-date=20 March 2008 |archive-date=18 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018084531/http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=1504 |url-status=live}}</ref> Located on the northern slopes of [[Mount Carmel]] and around Haifa Bay, the city is split over three tiers.<ref name=tiers>{{cite web |url=http://www.tourism.gov.il/Tourism_Euk/Destinations/Haifa/general+info.htm |title=Haifa – General info |access-date=20 March 2008 |publisher=Israeli Ministry of Tourism |archive-date=14 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080414134000/http://www.tourism.gov.il/Tourism_Euk/Destinations/Haifa/general+info.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> The lowest is the center of commerce and industry including the Port of Haifa.<ref name=tiers/> The middle level is on the slopes of Mount Carmel and consists of older residential neighborhoods, while the upper level consists of modern neighborhoods looking over the lower tiers.<ref name=tiers/> From here views can be had across the [[Western Galilee]] region of Israel towards [[Rosh HaNikra, Israel|Rosh HaNikra]] and the [[Blue Line (Lebanon)|Lebanese border]].<ref name=tiers/> Haifa is about {{cvt|90|km|mi|1|sp=us}} north of the city of Tel Aviv, and has a large number of beaches on the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.goisrael.com/NR/rdonlyres/FAEF9852-0C3C-43CD-B751-BE0C4A977000/5304/RoadDistanceChart1.pdf |title=Road Distances Chart |publisher=Israel Ministry of Tourism |access-date=20 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409211830/http://www.goisrael.com/NR/rdonlyres/FAEF9852-0C3C-43CD-B751-BE0C4A977000/5304/RoadDistanceChart1.pdf |archive-date=9 April 2008}}</ref>

{{wide image|Haifa BW 4.JPG|800px|align-cap=center|Panorama of Haifa from Mount Carmel}}

===Flora and fauna===
The Carmel Mountain has three main [[wadi]]s: Lotem, Amik and Si'ach. For the most part these valleys are undeveloped natural corridors that run up through the city from the coast to the top of the mountain. Marked hiking paths traverse these areas and they provide habitat for wildlife such as wild boar, [[golden jackal]], [[hyrax]], [[Egyptian mongoose]], owls and chameleons.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

Haifa is inundated with [[Wild boar|boars]]. The boars began to descend from the valleys around the city from before 2019, and began to roam in the city's streets. In 2019, mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem decided to stop shooting the boars.<ref name="Where Boars Hog the Streets">{{cite web |last1=Kingsley |first1=Patrick |title=Where Boars Hog the Streets |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/09/world/middleeast/haifa-israel-wild-boars.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=10 February 2024 |date=9 April 2021}}</ref> Boar sighting figures have struggled to go down since the [[Israel Nature and Parks Authority]] began fencing off forested areas, because residents often feed the boars.<ref name="Kingsley">{{cite web |title=Well-meaning Residents Foil Haifa's Efforts to Tame Wild Boar Problem |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-12-10/ty-article/.premium/well-meaning-residents-foil-haifas-efforts-to-tame-wild-boar-problem/00000184-fd69-d4c7-a786-fdffd11e0000 |website=Haaretz |access-date=10 February 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

===Climate===
Haifa has a [[hot-summer Mediterranean climate]] with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Csa'').<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://encarta.msn.com/text_761575008___2/israel.html |title=Israel |access-date=20 March 2008 |encyclopedia=Encarta |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028171259/http://encarta.msn.com/text_761575008___2/Israel.html |archive-date=28 October 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Spring arrives in March when temperatures begin to increase. By late May, the temperature has warmed up considerably to herald warm summer days. The average temperature in summer is {{cvt|26|°C|°F|0|sp=us}} and in winter, {{cvt|12|°C|°F|0|sp=us}}. Frost is rare in Haifa, but temperatures around {{cvt|3|°C|°F|0|sp=us}} can sometimes occur, usually in the early morning. Snow is very rare, which [[Snow in Israel#History|last fell in 1950]]. Humidity tends to be high all year round, and rain usually occurs between September and May. Annual precipitation is approximately {{cvt|629|mm|in|0|sp=us}}.
{{Weather box
|location=[[Haifa Airport]] (5 m / 16 ft) (Temperature: 1995–2010, Extremes 1898–2011, Precipitation: 1980–2010)
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|Jan record high C=27.0
|Feb record high C=30.4
|Mar record high C=38.0
|Apr record high C=42.5
|May record high C=44.6
|Jun record high C=43.5
|Jul record high C=37.8
|Aug record high C=37.8
|Sep record high C=41.8
|Oct record high C=41.4
|Nov record high C=36.0
|Dec record high C=31.5
|Jan avg record high C=22.6
|Feb avg record high C=25.0
|Mar avg record high C=29.9
|Apr avg record high C=35.5
|May avg record high C=36.2
|Jun avg record high C=34.6
|Jul avg record high C=35.2
|Aug avg record high C=34.1
|Sep avg record high C=34.7
|Oct avg record high C=35.4
|Nov avg record high C=30.3
|Dec avg record high C=24.7
|year avg record high C=
|Jan high C=17.8
|Feb high C=18.6
|Mar high C=20.9
|Apr high C=23.8
|May high C=26.5
|Jun high C=29.5
|Jul high C=31.6
|Aug high C=31.6
|Sep high C=30.2
|Oct high C=27.9
|Nov high C=24.4
|Dec high C=19.8
|year high C=
|Jan mean C=13.9
|Feb mean C=14.4
|Mar mean C=16.5
|Apr mean C=19.4
|May mean C=22.4
|Jun mean C=25.7
|Jul mean C=28.0
|Aug mean C=28.4
|Sep mean C=26.7
|Oct mean C=23.7
|Nov mean C=19.8
|Dec mean C=15.8
|year mean C=
|Jan low C=10.0
|Feb low C=10.2
|Mar low C=12.1
|Apr low C=14.8
|May low C=18.2
|Jun low C=21.9
|Jul low C=24.4
|Aug low C=25.1
|Sep low C=23.2
|Oct low C=19.5
|Nov low C=15.1
|Dec low C=11.8
|year low C=15.9
|Jan avg record low C=5.4
|Feb avg record low C=6.1
|Mar avg record low C=7.6
|Apr avg record low C=9.5
|May avg record low C=13.7
|Jun avg record low C=18.4
|Jul avg record low C=21.7
|Aug avg record low C=22.7
|Sep avg record low C=19.5
|Oct avg record low C=14.8
|Nov avg record low C=9.9
|Dec avg record low C=7.3
|year avg record low C=
|Jan record low C=-1.6
|Feb record low C=-3.5
|Mar record low C=2.0
|Apr record low C=4.3
|May record low C=9.6
|Jun record low C=13.0
|Jul record low C=17.0
|Aug record low C=17.9
|Sep record low C=14.2
|Oct record low C=8.5
|Nov record low C=5.0
|Dec record low C=0.2
|year record low C=
|rain colour=green
|Jan rain mm=124.9
|Feb rain mm=95.2
|Mar rain mm=52.8
|Apr rain mm=23.6
|May rain mm=2.7
|Jun rain mm=0.1
|Jul rain mm=0.0
|Aug rain mm=0.0
|Sep rain mm=1.2
|Oct rain mm=28.0
|Nov rain mm=77.8
|Dec rain mm=135.5
|unit rain days=0.1 mm
|Jan rain days=13.9
|Feb rain days=11.7
|Mar rain days=8.6
|Apr rain days=3.6
|May rain days=1.4
|Jun rain days=0.1
|Jul rain days=0.1
|Aug rain days=0
|Sep rain days=0.8
|Oct rain days=3.9
|Nov rain days=8.0
|Dec rain days=11.8
|source 1=''Israel Meteorological Service''<ref name=IMS>{{cite web |url=http://www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/TempNormals.htm |title=Temperature average |publisher=Israel Meteorological Service |access-date=1 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618145923/http://www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/TempNormals.htm |archive-date=18 June 2013}}{{in lang|he}}</ref><ref name=Rain>{{cite web |url=http://www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/RainNormals.htm |title=Precipitation average |access-date=12 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925080227/http://www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/RainNormals.htm |archive-date=25 September 2011}}{{in lang|he}}</ref>
}}
{{Weather box
|location=University of Haifa (475 m / 1558 ft) (Temperature: 1995–2010, Precipitation: 1980–2010)
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|Jan record high C=23.6
|Feb record high C=26.2
|Mar record high C=32.9
|Apr record high C=36.6
|May record high C=39.0
|Jun record high C=38.9
|Jul record high C=36.6
|Aug record high C=34.9
|Sep record high C=38.9
|Oct record high C=36.3
|Nov record high C=30.0
|Dec record high C=28.3
|Jan high C=13.3
|Feb high C=14.2
|Mar high C=16.8
|Apr high C=20.2
|May high C=23.3
|Jun high C=25.1
|Jul high C=26.5
|Aug high C=26.9
|Sep high C=26.2
|Oct high C=24.2
|Nov high C=19.9
|Dec high C=15.5
|year high C=
|Jan mean C=11.0
|Feb mean C=11.5
|Mar mean C=13.8
|Apr mean C=16.5
|May mean C=19.7
|Jun mean C=22.0
|Jul mean C=23.7
|Aug mean C=24.2
|Sep mean C=23.4
|Oct mean C=21.3
|Nov mean C=17.2
|Dec mean C=13.1
|year mean C=
|Jan low C=8.6
|Feb low C=8.9
|Mar low C=10.7
|Apr low C=12.9
|May low C=16.1
|Jun low C=18.8
|Jul low C=20.8
|Aug low C=21.5
|Sep low C=20.6
|Oct low C=18.4
|Nov low C=14.6
|Dec low C=10.7
|year low C=
|Jan record low C=-0.3
|Feb record low C=1.3
|Mar record low C=1.0
|Apr record low C=4.2
|May record low C=10.1
|Jun record low C=11.5
|Jul record low C=16.7
|Aug record low C=18.1
|Sep record low C=15.9
|Oct record low C=8.8
|Nov record low C=5.1
|Dec record low C=2.5
|rain colour=green
|Jan rain mm=166
|Feb rain mm=128
|Mar rain mm=71
|Apr rain mm=21
|May rain mm=5
|Jun rain mm=0
|Jul rain mm=0
|Aug rain mm=0
|Sep rain mm=2
|Oct rain mm=36
|Nov rain mm=93
|Dec rain mm=161
|unit rain days=0.1 mm
|Jan rain days=14
|Feb rain days=12
|Mar rain days=9
|Apr rain days=4
|May rain days=1
|Jun rain days=0
|Jul rain days=0
|Aug rain days=0
|Sep rain days=1
|Oct rain days=4
|Nov rain days=8
|Dec rain days=12
|Jan humidity=68
|Feb humidity=67
|Mar humidity=63
|Apr humidity=61
|May humidity=63
|Jun humidity=74
|Jul humidity=80
|Aug humidity=82
|Sep humidity=74
|Oct humidity=67
|Nov humidity=59
|Dec humidity=65
|year humidity=
|source 1=''Israel Meteorological Service''<ref name=IMS/><ref name="Rain" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/Relative+humidity+1995-2009.htm |title=Relative humidity average |access-date=28 December 2014 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002258/http://www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/Relative+humidity+1995-2009.htm |url-status=live}}{{in lang|he}}</ref>
}}

==Neighborhoods==
{{main|Neighborhoods of Haifa}}
[[File:Israel - Haifa - view 001.jpg|thumb|Bat Galim neighborhood and [[Haifa Bay]]]]
[[File:Haifa 3082-1.jpg|thumb|Panorama Towers]]

Haifa has developed in tiers, from the lower to the upper city on the Carmel. The oldest neighborhood in modern Haifa is Wadi Salib, the Old City center near the port, which has been bisected by a major road and razed in part to make way for [[Government Buildings]]. Wadi Salib stretches across to [[Wadi Nisnas]], the center of Arab life in Haifa today. In the 19th century, under Ottoman rule, the German Colony was built, providing the first model of [[urban planning]] in Haifa. Some of the buildings have been restored and the colony has turned into a center of Haifa nightlife.<ref name=tiers/>

The first buildings in Hadar were constructed at the start of the 20th century. Hadar was Haifa's cultural center and marketplace throughout the 1920s and into the 1980s, nestled above and around Haifa's Arab neighborhoods. Today Hadar stretches from the port area near the bay, approximately halfway up Mount Carmel, around the [[German Colony, Haifa|German Colony]], [[Wadi Nisnas]] and [[Wadi Salib]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/viehaifa.html |title=Haifa |encyclopedia=Jewish Virtual Library |access-date=21 March 2008 |date=|archive-date=14 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514231928/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/viehaifa.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Hadar houses two commercial centers (one in the port area, and one midway up the mountain) surrounded by some of the city's older neighborhoods.

[[Neve Sha'anan, Haifa|Neve Sha'anan]], a neighborhood located on the second tier of Mount Carmel, was founded in the 1920s. West of the port are the neighborhoods of Bat Galim, Shikmona Beach, and Kiryat Eliezer. To the west and east of Hadar are the Arab neighborhoods of Abbas and Khalisa, built in the 1960s and 70s.<ref name=go>{{cite web |url=http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Euk/Tourist+Information/Discover+Israel/Cities/Haifa.htm |title=Haifa |publisher=Israel Government Tourism Ministry |access-date=21 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108130722/http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Euk/Tourist+Information/Discover+Israel/Cities/Haifa.htm |archive-date=8 January 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> To the south of Mount Carmel's headland, along the road to Tel Aviv, are the neighborhoods of [[Ein HaYam (Wadi al-Jimal)|Ein HaYam]], Shaar HaAliya, Kiryat Sprinzak and Neve David.

Above Hadar are affluent neighborhoods such as the Carmel Tzarfati ([[French Carmel]]), [[Merkaz HaCarmel]] (Carmel Center), [[Ramot Ben Gurion|Romema]] (Ramot Ben Gurion), Ahuzat HaCarmel (Ahuza), Carmeliya, [[Vardiya]], [[Ramat Golda]], [[Ramat Alon]] and [[Denia, Haifa|Hod Ha'Carmel (Denya)]]. While there are general divisions between Arab and Jewish neighborhoods, there is an increasing trend for wealthy Arabs to move into affluent Jewish neighborhoods.<ref name=demo/> Another Carmel neighborhood is [[Kababir]], home to the National Headquarters of Israel's [[Ahmadiyya Community]];<ref name=go/> located near Merkaz HaCarmel and overlooking the coast.

==Urban development==
[[File:Sderot Ben Gurion Haifa IL WV.JPG|thumb|upright|Ben-Gurion Avenue and the German Colony]]

Recently, residential construction has been concentrated around Kiryat Haim and [[Kiryat Shmuel, Haifa|Kiryat Shmuel]], with {{cvt|75000|m²|0}} of new residential construction between 2002 and 2004, the Carmel, with {{cvt|70000|m²|0}}, and Ramot Neve Sha'anan with approximately {{cvt|70000|m²|0}}<ref name=building>{{cite web |url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Building/Y2004/Download/BuildingDL.pdf |title=Building |publisher=Haifa Municipality |work=Haifa Statistical Yearbook |access-date=21 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409211937/http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Building/Y2004/Download/BuildingDL.pdf |archive-date=9 April 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Non-residential construction was highest in the [[Lower Town]], (90,000 sq m), Haifa Bay (72,000 sq m) and Ramot Neve Sha'anan (54,000 sq m).<ref name=building/> In 2004, 80% of construction in the city was private.<ref name=building/>

Currently, the city has a modest number of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emporis.com/city/haifa-israel/high-rise-buildings |title=high-rise buildings &#124; Buildings |publisher=Emporis |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=7 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407063705/http://www.emporis.com/city/haifa-israel/high-rise-buildings |url-status=usurped}}</ref> Though buildings rising up to 20 stories were built on Mount Carmel in the past, the Haifa municipality banned the construction of any new buildings taller than nine stories on Mount Carmel in July 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=844707 |title=Gad Zeevi demands Haifa permit high-rises on the Carmel |newspaper=Globes |date=17 October 2004 |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=7 January 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130107221734/http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=844707 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The neighborhood of Wadi Salib, located in the heart of downtown Haifa, is being redeveloped. Most of its Jewish and Arab residents are considered squatters and have been gradually evicted over the years. The Haifa Economic Corporation Ltd is developing two 1,000 square meter lots for office and commercial use.<ref>[http://www.hec.co.il/Calcalit/Templates/showpage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=84&FID=276 Haifa Economic Corporation Ltd: Wadi Salib] Haifa Economic Corporation {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Some historic buildings have been renovated and redeveloped, especially into nightclubs and theaters, such as the Palace of the Pasha, a [[Turkish bath]]house, and a [[Middle Eastern music]] and [[Nightclub|dance club]], which has been converted into theaters and offices.<ref name=Johal />

In 2012, a new, massive development plan was announced for Haifa's waterfront. According to the plan, the western section of the city's port will be torn down, and all port activity will be moved to the east. The west side of the port will be transformed into a tourism and nightlife center and a point of embarkation and arrival for sea travel through the construction of public spaces, a beach promenade, and the renovation of commercial buildings. The train tracks that currently bisect the city and separate the city's beach from the rest of Haifa will also be buried.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4250979,00.html |title=Plan aims to turn Haifa into 'the Barcelona of Israel' |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=20 June 1995 |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=26 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130226232047/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4250979,00.html |url-status=live|last1=Shauli |first1=Alphi }}</ref> A park will be developed on the border of the Kishon River, the refineries' cooling towers will be turned into a visitors' center, and bridges will lead from the port to the rest of the city. Massive renovations are also currently underway in Haifa's lower town, in the Turkish market and Paris Square, which will become the city's business center.<ref name=hotels/> In addition, the ammonia depository tank in the Haifa bay industrial zone will be dismantled, and a new one built in an alternative location.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4330877,00.html |title=Move of Haifa Bay's ammonia tank tangled in red tape |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=20 June 1995 |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=15 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315020714/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4330877,00.html |url-status=live|last1=Ben-David |first1=Amir }}</ref>
[[File:The Carmelite Compound (8).jpg|thumb|The Carmelite Compound in [[Paris Square (Haifa)|Paris Square]]]]

Another plan seeks to turn the western section of Haifa Port into a major tourism and nightlife center, as well as a functioning point of embarkation and arrival for sea travel. All port activity will be moved to the western side, and the area will be redeveloped. Public spaces and a beach promenade will be developed, and commercial buildings will be renovated.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4250979,00.html |title=Plan aims to turn Haifa into 'the Barcelona of Israel' |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=20 June 1995 |access-date=24 March 2013 |archive-date=26 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130226232047/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4250979,00.html |url-status=live|last1=Shauli |first1=Alphi }}</ref> As part of the development plans, the [[Israeli Navy]], which has a large presence in Haifa, will withdraw from the shoreline between Bat Galim and Hof Hashaket. A {{cvt|5|km|mi|abbr=off|sp=us|adj=on}} long [[esplanade]] which will encircle the shoreline will be constructed. It will include a bicycle path, and possibly also a small bridge under which navy vessels will pass on their way to the sea.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4312236,00.html |title=Haifa residents invited to 'smash wall' |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=20 June 1995 |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=7 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307214453/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4312236,00.html |url-status=live|last1=Beno |first1=Goel }}</ref>

In addition, a 50,000 square-meter entertainment complex that will contain a [[Disney]] theme park, cinemas, shops, and a 25-screen [[Multiplex (movie theater)|Multiplex theater]] will be built at the Check Post exit from the Carmel Tunnels.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000612861&fid=1124 |title=NIS 600m Disney park, multiplex planned for Haifa |work=Globes |date=3 January 2011 |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=4 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110404063534/http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000612861&fid=1124 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, a new major plan for the city was proposed, under which extensive development of residential, business, and leisure areas will take place with the target of increasing the city's population by 60,000 by 2025. Under the plan, five new neighborhoods will be built, along with new high-tech parks. In addition, existing employment centers will be renovated, and new leisure areas and a large park will be built.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-haifa-outline-plan-filed-for-objections-1000920431 |title=Haifa outline plan filed for objections |work=Globes |date=26 February 2014 |access-date=16 July 2014 |archive-date=5 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305044225/http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-haifa-outline-plan-filed-for-objections-1000920431 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2016, a new plan for the city was approved. The plan included a new main downtown business district, the creation of a park in a current industrial area, new construction and renovation of public buildings and hubs of higher education, tourism, culture, commerce, leisure, and residence.<ref name=globes />

==Economy==
[[File:Haifa Refinery by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|[[Oil Refineries|Haifa Oil Refinery]]]]
[[File:Matam hi-tech park (Haifa).jpg|thumb|Matam hi-tech park]]
The common Israeli saying, "Haifa works, Jerusalem prays, and Tel Aviv plays" attests to Haifa's reputation as a city of workers and industry.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Tel Aviv: "Haifa works, Jerusalem prays, and Tel Aviv plays" |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/middleeast/israel/721623/Tel-Aviv-%22Haifa-works,-Jerusalem-prays,-and-Tel-Aviv-plays%22.html |access-date=23 March 2008 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=14 November 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415113817/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/middleeast/israel/721623/Tel-Aviv-%22Haifa-works%2C-Jerusalem-prays%2C-and-Tel-Aviv-plays%22.html |archive-date=15 April 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The industrial region of Haifa is in the eastern part of the city, around the Kishon River. It is home to the [[Oil Refineries Ltd|Haifa oil refinery]], one of the two [[Oil refinery|oil refineries]] in Israel (the [[Ashdod Oil Refineries|other refinery]] being located in Ashdod). The Haifa refinery processes 9&nbsp;million tons (66&nbsp;million barrels) of [[Petroleum|crude oil]] a year.<ref name=foundation>{{cite web |url=http://www.haifa-foundation.org/haifa_today.htm |title=Haifa Today |access-date=21 March 2008 |publisher=Haifa Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415062842/http://www.haifa-foundation.org/haifa_today.htm |archive-date=15 April 2008 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> Its nowadays unused twin 80-meter high [[cooling tower]]s, built in the 1930s, were the tallest buildings built in the British Mandate period.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=haifaoilrefinerycoolingtowers-haifa-israel |title=Haifa Oil Refinery Cooling Towers |access-date=17 February 2008 |publisher=Emporis.com |archive-date=11 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611073309/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/227526/haifa-oil-refinery-cooling-towers-haifa-israel |url-status=usurped}}</ref> ''Matam'' (short for ''Merkaz Ta'asiyot Mada'' – Scientific Industries Center), the largest and oldest [[business park]] in Israel, is at the southern entrance to the city, hosting manufacturing and [[research and development|R&D]] facilities for a large number of Israeli and international [[High tech|hi-tech]] companies, such as [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], [[Abbott Laboratories|Abbot]], [[Cadence Design Systems|Cadence]], [[Intel Corporation|Intel]], [[IBM R&D Labs in Israel|IBM]], [[Magic Leap]], [[Microsoft]], [[Motorola]], Google, [[Yahoo!]], [[Elbit]], [[CSR plc|CSR]], [[Philips]], [[PricewaterhouseCoopers|PwC]] and [[Amdocs]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.american.edu/carmel/ab5293a/Casestudy/Israel/israel.htm |title=Israel |publisher=American.edu |access-date=17 February 2008 |archive-date=15 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415082218/http://www.american.edu/carmel/ab5293a/Casestudy/Israel/israel.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> The campus of the University of Haifa is also home to IBM Haifa Labs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.haifa.il.ibm.com |title=IBM Haifa Labs |access-date=27 January 2008 |publisher=IBM Haifa Labs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308204625/http://www.haifa.il.ibm.com/ |archive-date=8 March 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Port of Haifa is the leader in passenger traffic among Israeli ports, and is also a major cargo [[harbor]], although deregulation has seen its dominance challenged by the [[Port of Ashdod]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.haifaport.org.il/ |title=Haifa Port |access-date=27 January 2008 |publisher=Haifa Port |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124134947/http://www.haifaport.org.il/ |archive-date=24 January 2008}}</ref> Haifa malls and shopping centers include Hutsot Hamifratz, Horev Center Mall, Panorama Center, Castra Center, Colony Center (Lev HaMoshava), Hanevi'im Tower Mall, Kanyon Haifa, [[Lev Hamifratz Mall]] and [[Grand Canyon (mall)|Grand Kanyon]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.category.php/30 |title=Haifa Shopping Centers |access-date=19 February 2008 |publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il |archive-date=8 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208201401/http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng//modules/article/view.category.php/30 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2010, ''[[Monocle (lifestyle magazine)|Monocle]]'' magazine identified Haifa as the city with the most promising business potential, with the greatest investment opportunities in the world. The magazine noted that "a massive head-to-toe regeneration is starting to have an impact; from scaffolding and cranes around town, to renovated façades and new smart places to eat". The Haifa municipality had spent more than $350&nbsp;million on roads and infrastructure, and the number of building permits had risen 83% in the previous two years.<ref name=Monocle>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3988794,00.html |title=Haifa: Greatest business potential |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=20 June 1995 |access-date=24 March 2013 |archive-date=8 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708230555/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3988794,00.html |url-status=live|last1=Petersburg |first1=Ofer }}</ref>

In 2014, it was announced that a technology-focused [[stock exchange]] would be established to compete with the [[Tel Aviv Stock Exchange]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-haifa-plans-technology-stock-market-1000963887 |title=Globes English – Haifa plans technology stock market |access-date=2015-12-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222081450/http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-haifa-plans-technology-stock-market-1000963887 |archive-date=22 December 2015}}</ref> Currently, some 40 hotels, mostly [[boutique hotel]]s, are planned, have been approved, or are under construction. The Haifa Municipality is seeking to turn the city into Northern Israel's tourist center, from where travelers can embark on day trips into Acre, Nazareth, Tiberias, and the Galilee.<ref name=hotels>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4319604,00.html |title=Dozens of hotels planned in Haifa |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=20 June 1995 |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=8 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308020733/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4319604,00.html |url-status=live|last1=Petersburg |first1=Ofer }}</ref> A new [[life sciences]] industrial park containing five buildings with 85,000 square meters of space on a 31-duman (7.75 acre) site is being built adjacent to the Matam industrial park.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000756854&fid=1124 |title=Building to begin on Haifa life sciences park |work=Globes |date=13 June 2012 |access-date=24 March 2013 |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528161942/https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-1000756854 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Tourism===
{{See also|Terraces (Baháʼí)}}
[[File:Stella Maris Haifa.jpg|thumb|Interior of [[Stella Maris Monastery]]]]
In 2005, Haifa had 13 hotels with a total of 1,462 rooms.<ref name=tourism>{{cite web |url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Tourism/Y2005/Download/Tourism2005.pdf |title=Hotels and Tourism |work=Haifa Statistical Yearbook |publisher=Haifa Municipality |access-date=14 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226230016/http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Tourism/Y2005/Download/Tourism2005.pdf |archive-date=26 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{update inline|date=January 2023}} The city has a {{cvt|17|km|mi|0}} shoreline, of which {{cvt|5|km|mi|0}} are beaches.<ref name=leisure>{{cite web |url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/LeisureActivity/Y2004/Download/LeisureActivityDL.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070330013119/http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/LeisureActivity/Y2004/Download/LeisureActivityDL.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 March 2007 |title=Leisure Activity |work=Haifa Statistical Yearbook |publisher=Haifa Municipality |page=56 |access-date=14 February 2008}}</ref> Haifa's main tourist attraction is the [[Baháʼí World Centre]], with the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb and the surrounding gardens. Between 2005 and 2006, 86,037 visited the shrine.<ref name=tourism/> In 2008, the Baháʼí gardens were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<ref name=UNESCO/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://terraces.bahai.org/terraces.en.html |title=Terraces of the Shrine of the Bab |access-date=11 April 2008 |archive-date=23 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423225420/http://terraces.bahai.org/terraces.en.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bahai.org/dir/bwc |title=Baha'i World Center |access-date=20 March 2008 |publisher=[[Baháʼí International Community]] |archive-date=18 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080318211852/http://www.bahai.org/dir/bwc |url-status=live}}</ref> The restored German Colony, founded by the Templers, Stella Maris and Elijah's Cave also draw many tourists.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c14/118/p2 |title=Tours of Haifa |access-date=11 April 2008 |archive-date=15 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415121944/http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c14/118/p2 |url-status=live}}</ref> Located in the Haifa district are the [[Ein Hod]] artists' colony, where over 90 artists and craftsmen have studios and exhibitions,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ddtravel-acc.com/haifa.htm |title=Eih Hod |access-date=20 January 2008 |publisher=ddtrave-acc.com |archive-date=19 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119025508/http://www.ddtravel-acc.com/haifa.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> and the Mount Carmel [[national park]], with caves where [[Neanderthal]] and early [[Human|Homo Sapiens]] remains were found.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?CNumber=852573 |title=Mount Carmel National Park |access-date=11 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302214342/http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?CNumber=852573 |archive-date=2 March 2008}}</ref>

A 2007 report commissioned by the Haifa Municipality calls for the construction of more hotels, a ferry line between Haifa, Acre and [[Caesarea (modern town)|Caesarea]], development of the western anchorage of the port as a recreation and entertainment area, and an expansion of the local airport and port to accommodate international travel and [[cruise ship]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/864746.html |title=Making Haifa into an international tourist destination |date=30 May 2007 |access-date=10 March 2008 |work=Haaretz |archive-date=15 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415044437/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/864746.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Arts and culture==
[[File:South Dado Beach - Hof HaCarmel - Haifa (1506044661).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Promenade along Dado Beach]]
[[File:Folk dancing in Dado Beach, Haifa 2015.JPG|thumb|Folk dancing on Dado Beach]]
Despite its image as a port and industrial city, Haifa is the cultural hub of northern Israel. During the 1950s, mayor [[Abba Hushi]] made a special effort to encourage authors and poets to move to the city, and founded the [[Haifa Theatre]], a [[repertory theater]], the first municipal theater founded in the country.<ref name=culture>{{cite web |url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng//modules/article/view.category.php/19 |title=Culture & Leisure |publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il |access-date=18 February 2008 |archive-date=11 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411140703/http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.category.php/19 |url-status=live}}</ref> The principal Arabic theater servicing the northern Arab population is the [[al-Midan Theater]]. Other theaters in the city include the Krieger Centre for the Performing Arts and the Rappaport Art and Culture Center.<ref name=culture/> The Congress Center hosts exhibitions, concerts and special events.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c19/148 |title=The Congress Center |publisher=Haifa Municipality |access-date=2 April 2008 |archive-date=19 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119054714/http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c19/148 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The New Haifa Symphony Orchestra, established in 1950, has more than 5,000&nbsp;subscribers. In 2004, 49,000 people attended its concerts.<ref name=leisure/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.haifasymphony.co.il/eabout.asp |title=Haifa Symphony |access-date=20 January 2008 |publisher=Haifa Symphony |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217224625/http://www.haifasymphony.co.il/eabout.asp |archive-date=17 December 2007}}</ref> The [[Haifa Cinematheque]], founded in 1975, hosts the annual [[Haifa International Film Festival]] during the intermediate days of the [[Sukkot]] holiday. Haifa has 29 movie theaters.<ref name=leisure/> The city publishes a local newspaper, Yediot Haifa,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abyznewslinks.com/israe.htm |title=Israel Newspapers |access-date=27 January 2008 |publisher=Abyznewslinks.com |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208085205/http://www.abyznewslinks.com/israe.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> and has its own radio station, Radio Haifa.[http://www.1075.fm רדיו חיפה – 107.5FM]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://radiostationworld.com/Locations/Israel/Radio.asp |title=Radio Broadcasting Stations |access-date=26 January 2008 |publisher=Radiostationworld.com |archive-date=8 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108125439/http://radiostationworld.com/locations/israel/radio.asp |url-status=live}}</ref> The Israeli Arabic-language newspapers [[Al-Ittihad (Israeli newspaper)|Al-Ittihad]] and [[Al-Madina (Israeli newspaper)|Al-Madina]] are also based in Haifa. During the 1990s, Haifa hosted the Haifa Rock & Blues Festival featuring [[Bob Dylan]], [[Nick Cave]], [[Blur (band)|Blur]] and [[PJ Harvey]]. The last festival was held in 1995 with [[Sheryl Crow]], [[Suede (band)|Suede]] and [[Faith No More]] as headliners.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

===Museums===
[[File:P1190557 - בית הטכניון ההיסטורי - החצר.JPG|thumb|upright|National Museum of Science, Haifa]]
Haifa has over a dozen museums.<ref name=leisure/><ref name=museums>{{cite web |url=http://www.get2israel.com/Destinations/haifa.aspx |title=Haifa Museums |publisher=Get2Israel.com |access-date=18 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080229091637/http://www.get2israel.com/Destinations/haifa.aspx |archive-date=29 February 2008}}</ref> The most popular museum is the Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space, which recorded almost 150,000&nbsp;visitors in 2004. The museum is located in the historic Technion building in the Hadar neighborhood. The [[Haifa Museum|Haifa Museum of Art]] houses a collection of modern and classical art, as well as displays on the history of Haifa. The [[Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art]] is the only museum in the Middle East dedicated solely to [[Japanese art]]. Other museums in Haifa include the Museum of Prehistory, the National Maritime Museum and [[Haifa City Museum]], the Hecht Museum,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mushecht.haifa.ac.il/Default_eng.aspx |title=Hecht Museum homepage |access-date=13 October 2014 |publisher=Hecht Museum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011210953/http://mushecht.haifa.ac.il/Default_eng.aspx |archive-date=11 October 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> the Dagon Archaeological Museum of Grain Handling,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nahariya.info/blog/dagan-grain-silo-and-museum-haifa |title=Dagan Grain Silo and Museum, Haifa |access-date=13 October 2014 |publisher=Nahariya.info – Nahariya and the Western Galilee |archive-date=19 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019110720/http://www.nahariya.info/blog/dagan-grain-silo-and-museum-haifa |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culture.org.il/directory/viewItem.asp?cat=6&subcat=6.3&idNum=8175 |title=Dagon Collection – Archaeological Museum of Grain Handling in Israel |access-date=13 October 2014 |publisher=Israel Arts Directorye |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812025851/http://www.culture.org.il/directory/viewItem.asp?cat=6&subcat=6.3&idNum=8175 |archive-date=12 August 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> the [[Israel Railway Museum|Railway Museum]], the [[Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum]], the Israeli [[Petroleum industry|Oil Industry]] Museum, and Chagall Artists' House.<ref name=leisure/> As part of his campaign to bring culture to Haifa, Mayor Abba Hushi provided the artist [[Mane-Katz]] with a building on Mount Carmel to house his collection of Judaica, which is now a museum.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c21/123 |title=The Mane Katz Museum |access-date=25 January 2008 |publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il |archive-date=13 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313222222/http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c21/123 |url-status=live}}</ref> The former home and studio of artist [[Hermann Struck]] is now the Hermann Struck Museum.<ref name=Struck>{{cite news |last1=Kamin |first1=Debra |title=Home of Haifa artist Hermann Struck is reborn as museum |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/home-of-haifa-artist-hermann-struck-is-reborn-as-museum/ |access-date=9 January 2019 |work=The Times of Israel |date=3 October 2013 |archive-date=16 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116134941/https://www.timesofisrael.com/home-of-haifa-artist-hermann-struck-is-reborn-as-museum/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The Haifa Educational Zoo at Gan HaEm park houses a small animal collection including Syrian brown bears, now extinct from Israel. Wןthin the zoo is the Pinhas House biology institute. In the close vicinity of Haifa, on the Carmel, the Northern "Hai-Bar" ("wild life") operated by Israel's Parks and Reserves Authority for the purpose of breeding and reintroduction of species now extinct from Israel, such as Persian Fallow Deer.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

==Government==
As an industrial port city, Haifa has traditionally been a Labor party stronghold. The strong presence of dock workers and trade unions earned it the nickname 'Red Haifa.' In addition, many prominent Arabs in the [[Communist Party of Israel|Israeli Communist Party]], among them [[Tawfik Toubi]], [[Emile Habibi]], [[Zahi Karkabi]], [[Bulus Farah]] and [[Emile Toma]], were from Haifa. [[File:Haifa Courts.jpg|thumb|left|Haifa court building]] There has been a drift toward the center.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mondediplo.com/2005/12/13haifa |title=Haifa through the looking glass |access-date=23 January 2008 |date=13 December 2005 |publisher=Le Monde diplomatique |archive-date=24 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124050903/http://mondediplo.com/2005/12/13haifa |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-20132871.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405160340/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-20132871.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 April 2012 |title='Red Haifa' in revolt against Labor |access-date=23 January 2008 |publisher=Highbeam.com – Originally from [[The Jerusalem Post|Jerusalem Post]] |date=1 February 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.islamicpluralism.org/articles/2006a/mysteriessafed.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927081007/http://www.islamicpluralism.org/articles/2006a/mysteriessafed.htm |archive-date=27 September 2007 |title=The Mysteries of Safed, The Banners of Haifa |date=26 July 2006 |first=Stephen |last=Schwartz |access-date=23 January 2008 |publisher=Islampluralism.org}}</ref> This was best signified by, in [[2006 Israeli legislative election|the 2006 legislative elections]], the [[Kadima]] party receiving about 28.9% of the votes in Haifa, and Labor lagging behind with 16.9%.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3233587,00.html |title=Haifa 2006 election results |work=[[Yedioth Ahronoth]] |access-date=23 January 2008 |language=he |archive-date=16 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416141101/http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3233587,00.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Before 1948, Haifa's Municipality was fairly unusual as it developed cooperation between the mixed Arab and Jewish community in the city, with representatives of both groups involved in the city's management. Under mayor al-Haj, between 1920 and 1927, the [[city council]] had six Arab and two Jewish representatives, with the city run as a mixed municipality with overall Arab control. Greater cooperation was introduced under [[Hasan Bey Shukri]], who adopted a positive and conciliatory attitude toward the city's Jews and gave them senior posts in the municipality.<ref>{{cite web |last=Eyadat |first=Fadi |url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1150667.html |title=Haifa honors first mayor's legacy of coexistence |publisher=Haaretz.com |date=18 February 2010 |access-date=24 March 2013}}</ref> In 1940, the first Jewish mayor, [[Shabtai Levy]], was elected. Levy's two deputies were Arab (one Muslim, the other Christian), with the remainder of the council made up of four Jews and six Arabs.<ref name=govt>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kUOK3a6hAMsC&q=haifa+municipality&pg=PA129 |title=Mixed Towns, Trapped Communities: Historical Narratives, Spatial Dynamics |last=Daniel Monterescu |first=Dan Rabinowitz |pages=113–132 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |access-date=26 July 2009 |isbn=978-0-7546-4732-4 |year=2007 |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528161910/https://books.google.com/books?id=kUOK3a6hAMsC&q=haifa+municipality&pg=PA129 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Today, Haifa is governed by its 12th city council, headed by the mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem. The results of municipal elections decide on the makeup of the council, similarly to the [[Knesset]] elections. The city council is the legislative council in the city, and has the authority to pass auxiliary laws.<ref name=council>{{cite web |url=http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117042303/http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/ |archive-date=17 January 2008 |title=City Council Overview |language=he |publisher=Haifa Municipality}}</ref> The 12th council, which was elected in 2003, has 31 members, with the liberal [[Shinui]]-[[The Greens (Israel)|Greens]] ticket holding the most seats (6), and [[Likud]] coming second with 5.<ref name=councillors>{{cite web |url=http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/members.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117045014/http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/members.htm |archive-date=17 January 2008 |title=Members of the 12th City Council |language=he |publisher=Haifa Municipality}}</ref> Many of the decisions passed by the city council are results of recommendation made by the various municipal committees, which are committees where non-municipal organs meet with representatives from the city council. Some committees are spontaneous, but some are mandatory, such as the security committee, tender committee and financial committee.<ref name=committees>{{cite web |url=http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/vaadot.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117045017/http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/he-IL/Municipality/Management/CityCouncil/vaadot.htm |archive-date=17 January 2008 |title=Municipal Committees |language=he |publisher=Haifa Municipality}}</ref>

===Mayors===
{{see also|Mayor of Haifa|Mayoral elections in Haifa}}
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 81520 haifa municipality building.jpg|thumb|Haifa City Hall]]
{{Div col}}
* [[Najib Effendi al-Yasin]] (1873–77)
* [[Ahmad Effendi Jalabi]] (1878–81)
* [[Mustafa Bey al-Salih]] (1881–84)
* [[Mustafa Pasha al-Khalil]] (1885–1903)
* [[Jamil Sadiq]] (1904–10)
* [[Rif'at al-Salah]] (1910–11)
* [[Ibrahim al-Khalil]] (1911–13)
* [[Abd al-Rahman al-Haj]] (1920–27)
* [[Hassan Bey Shukri]] (1914–20, 1927–40)
* [[Shabtai Levy]] (1940–51)
* [[Abba Hushi]] (1951–1969)
* [[Moshe Flimann]] (1969–1973)
* [[Yosef Almogi]] (1974–1975)
* [[Yeruham Zeisel]] (1975–1978)
* [[Aryeh Gur'el|Arie Gur'el]] (1978–1993)
* [[Amram Mitzna]] (1993–2003)
* [[Giora Fisher]] (interim mayor, 2003)
* [[Yona Yahav]] (2003–2018)
* [[Einat Kalisch-Rotem]] (2018–present)
{{Div col end}}

==Medical facilities==
[[File:Rambam Health Care Campus Main Building.JPG|thumb|Rambam Medical Center]]
[[File:Technion – Israel Institute of Technology19.jpg|thumb|The Technion is the first higher education institution with teaching the Hebrew language. It was listed multiple tilmes in the top 100 of the Shanghai [[Academic Ranking of World Universities]].]]
[[File:Haifa U Rabin Building.jpg|thumb|Rabin Building, University of Haifa]]
Haifa medical facilities have a total of 4,000 hospital beds. The largest hospital is the government-operated [[Rambam Hospital]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rambam.org.il/Home+Page/Research/default.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071108234444/http://www.rambam.org.il/Home+Page/Research/default.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 November 2007 |title=research at rambam |publisher=Rambam.org.il |access-date=5 May 2009}}</ref> with 900 beds and 78,000 admissions in 2004. [[Bnai Zion Medical Center]] and Carmel Hospital each have 400 beds. Other hospitals in the city include the Italian Hospital, [[Elisha Medical Center|Elisha Hospital]] (100 beds), Horev Medical Center (36 beds) and Ramat Marpe (18 beds).<ref name=medical/> Haifa has 20 family health centers.<ref name=medical>{{cite web |url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Health/Y2005/Download/Health%20ServicesDL.pdf |title=Health Services |publisher=Haifa Municipality |work=Statistical Yearbook 2006 |access-date=21 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409211902/http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Health/Y2005/Download/Health%20ServicesDL.pdf |archive-date=9 April 2008 |url-status=dead}}Data {{As of|2005|lc=y}}</ref> In 2004, there were a total of 177,478 hospital admissions.<ref name=medical/> Rambam Medical Center was in the direct line of fire during the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and was forced to take special precautions to protect its patients.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5197326.stm |title=Haifa hospital in the firing line |first=Raffi |last=Berg |work=BBC News |date=20 July 2006 |access-date=5 January 2010 |archive-date=11 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611073308/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5197326.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> Whole wings of the hospital were moved to large underground shelters.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3287614,00.html |title=Haifa hospital goes underground |work=Ynetnews |access-date=18 February 2008 |date=7 August 2006 |first=Ahiya |last=Raved |archive-date=15 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415055213/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3287614,00.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Haifa Nordfassade École des Sœurs de Nazareth.jpg|thumb|Nazareth Nuns' School, a prestigious Arabic school in Haifa.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |last=Ratner |first=David |url=https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/business/haifa-s-christian-schools-lead-the-league-1.123464 |title=Haifa's Christian schools lead the league |work=Haaretz |date=25 May 2004 |access-date=24 March 2013 |archive-date=3 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903212521/http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/business/haifa-s-christian-schools-lead-the-league-1.123464 |url-status=live}}</ref>]]
Haifa is home to two internationally acclaimed universities and several colleges. The University of Haifa, founded in 1963, is at the top of Mt. Carmel. The campus was designed by the architect of [[Brasília]] and [[United Nations Headquarters]] in New York City, [[Oscar Niemeyer]]. The top floor of the 30-story Eshkol Tower provides a panoramic view of northern Israel. The [[Hecht Museum]], with important archeology and art collections, is on the campus of Haifa University.

The [[Technion|Technion – Israel Institute of Technology]], was founded in 1912, and became the first higher education institution where the language of teaching is Hebrew (see [[War of the Languages]]). It has 18 faculties and 42 [[research institute]]s. The original building now houses [[Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space]], also known as Madatech.

The [[Hebrew Reali School]] was founded in 1913. It is the largest [[k-12]] school in Israel, with 4,000 students in 7 branches, all over the city.

The first technological high school in Israel, Bosmat, was established in Haifa in 1933. It was affiliated with the Technion. Because of financial difficulties, it was closed in 2007, and later re-established as part of the Mofet network, which was started by science teachers from the [[1990s post-Soviet aliyah]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/894017.html |title=The closing of a dream come true |access-date=25 January 2008 |work=Haaretz |archive-date=3 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203085715/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/894017.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Other academic institutions in Haifa are the [[Gordon College of Education]] and Sha'anan Religious Teachers' College, the [[WIZO Haifa Academy of Design and Education]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wizodzn.ac.il/article.asp?cc=01031805 |title=A Cross-Section of Israeli Reality, Here and Now |publisher=Wizodzn.ac.il |date=22 September 2006 |access-date=24 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514150810/http://wizodzn.ac.il/article.asp?cc=01031805 |archive-date=14 May 2013}}</ref> and Tiltan College of Design. The Michlala Leminhal College of Management and the [[Open University of Israel]] have branches in Haifa. The city also has a nursing college and the P.E.T Practical Engineering School.<ref name=edu/>

Among Israeli higher education institutions the [[University of Haifa]] has the largest percentage (41%) of [[Arab-Israeli]] students.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/number-of-arabs-in-israeli-higher-education-grew-79-in-seven-years-1.5763067 |title=Number of Arabs in Israeli Higher Education Grew 79% in Seven Years |last=Dattel |first=Lior |date=24 January 2018 |work=Haaretz |access-date=2020-01-12 |language=en |archive-date=30 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220430160820/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/number-of-arabs-in-israeli-higher-education-grew-79-in-seven-years-1.5763067 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Technion Israel Institute of Technology]] has the second largest percentage (22.2%) of [[Arab-Israeli]] students.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/education/edlife/inside-the-technion-israels-premier-technological-institute-and-cornells-global-partner.html |title=Inside the Technion, Israel's premier technological institute and Cornell's global partner. |journal=The New York Times |first=Danna |last=Harman |date=12 April 2013 |via=NYTimes.com |access-date=1 May 2022 |archive-date=17 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417165038/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/education/edlife/inside-the-technion-israels-premier-technological-institute-and-cornells-global-partner.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.technion.ac.il/en/2014/05/new-program-for-outstanding-arab-students-2/ |title=Outstanding Arab Students |date=21 May 2014 |access-date=25 July 2015 |archive-date=17 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417164207/https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2014/05/new-program-for-outstanding-arab-students-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{As of|2006}}–07, Haifa had 70 elementary schools, 23 middle schools, 28 academic [[High school (upper secondary)|high school]]s and 8 vocational high schools. There were 5,133 pupils in municipal kindergartens, 20,081 in elementary schools, 7,911 in middle schools, 8,072 in academic high schools, 2,646 in vocational high schools, and 2,068 in comprehensive district high schools. 86% of the students attended Hebrew-speaking schools and 14% attended Arab schools. 5% were in [[special education]].<ref name=edu>{{cite web |url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Education/Y2007/Download/EducationDL.pdf |title=Education |access-date=14 February 2008 |date=1 June 2007 |publisher=Haifa Municipality |work=Haifa Statistical Yearbook 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226230026/http://www1.haifa.muni.il/spru/doc/YB/Education/Y2007/Download/EducationDL.pdf |archive-date=26 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2004, Haifa had 16 municipal libraries stocking 367,323 books.<ref name=leisure/> Two prestigious Arab schools in Haifa are the Orthodox School, run by the Greek Orthodox church, and the Nazareth Nuns' School, a Catholic institution.<ref name="auto"/> About 70% of Arab students in Haifa (Christians, Muslims, and Druze) attend [[Christian schools]] (6 schools) that found in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/society/85944-150916-israel-hundreds-protest-against-discriminatory-school-funding-for-christians |title=Israel: Hundreds protest against 'discriminatory' school funding for Christians |date=17 September 2015 |publisher=i24NEWS |access-date=27 April 2022 |archive-date=15 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515205433/https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/society/85944-150916-israel-hundreds-protest-against-discriminatory-school-funding-for-christians |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Transportation==
===Public transportation===
[[File:The New Carmelit 08-10-2018.jpg|thumb|upright|right|The Carmelit is currently Israel's only subway system.]]
Haifa is served by six railway stations and the [[Carmelit]], currently Israel's only subway system (another is planned in Tel Aviv). The [[Nahariya]]–Tel Aviv [[Coastal railway line, Israel|Coastal Railway]] main line of [[Israel Railways]] runs along the coast of the Gulf of Haifa and has six stations within the city. From south-west to north-east, these stations are: [[Haifa Hof HaCarmel Railway Station|Haifa Hof HaCarmel]], [[Haifa Bat Galim Railway Station|Haifa Bat Galim]], [[Haifa Center HaShmona Railway Station|Haifa Merkaz HaShmona]], [[HaMifrats Central Railway Station|HaMifrats Central]], [[Hutzot HaMifratz Railway Station|Hutzot HaMifratz]] and [[Kiryat Haim Railway Station|Kiryat Haim]]. Together with the [[Kiryat Motzkin Railway Station]] in the northern suburb [[Kiryat Motzkin]], they form the Haifa – Krayot suburban line ("Parvarit").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.israrail.org.il/english/travel/map.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301032459/http://www.israrail.org.il/english/travel/map.html |archive-date=1 March 2007 |title=Railway Map |publisher=Israel Railways |access-date=22 February 2008}}</ref> There are direct trains from Haifa to Tel Aviv, [[Ben Gurion International Airport]], [[Beersheba]], [[Hadera]], [[Herzliya]], [[Modi'in]], [[Nahariya]], [[Karmiel]], Akko, [[Kiryat Motzkin]], [[Binyamina]], [[Lod]], [[Ramla]], [[Beit Shemesh]] and others.

Haifa's [[Bus|intercity bus]] connections are operated almost exclusively by the [[Egged (company)|Egged]] bus company, which operates two terminals:
* [[HaMifratz Central Bus Station]], adjacent to the HaMifrats Central Railway Station
* Haifa Hof HaCarmel Central Bus Station, adjacent to the Hof HaCarmel Railway Station
Lines to the North of the country use HaMifratz Central Bus Station and their coverage includes most towns in the North of Israel. Lines heading south use [[Haifa Hof HaCarmel Central Bus Station]].

Destinations directly reachable from Hof HaCarmel CBS include Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, [[Eilat]], [[Ra'anana|Raanana]], [[Netanya]], [[Hadera]], [[Zikhron Ya'akov]], [[Atlit (modern town)|Atlit]], [[Tirat Carmel]], Ben Gurion International Airport and intermediate communities. There are also three Egged lines that have their terminus in the [[Ramat Vizhnitz]] neighborhood and run to [[Jerusalem]], [[Bnei Brak]] and Ashdod. These used to be "''[[mehadrin bus lines|mehadrin]]''" (i.e. gender segregated) lines.

All urban lines are run by Egged. There are also [[share taxi]]s that run along some bus routes but do not have an official schedule. In 2006, Haifa implemented a trial network of neighborhood mini-buses – named "Shkhunatit" and run by Egged.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1150885952889&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull |title=Egged to start minibus project in Haifa |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=9 June 2006 |access-date=22 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718110005/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1150885952889&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |archive-date=18 July 2011}}</ref> In December 2012, [[GetTaxi]], an app and taxi service which allows users to hail a cab using their smartphone without contacting the taxi station (by identifying and summoning the closest taxi) began operating. In the current initial phase, 50 taxis from the service are operating in Haifa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000803404&fid=1725 |title=GetTaxi extends service to Haifa |work=Globes |date=4 December 2012 |access-date=13 October 2013 |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528161926/https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-1000803404 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Metronit track.jpg|thumb|Completed [[Metronit]] track in downtown Haifa]]
Haifa and the Krayot suburbs also have a new [[Phileas (public transport)|Phileas concept]] [[bus rapid transit]] system called the Metronit. These buses, operating with [[hybrid vehicle|hybrid]] engines, follow optical strips embedded in designated lanes of roads, providing tram-like public transportation services. The Metronit consists of 100 18-meter buses, each with the capacity for 150 passengers, operating along {{cvt|40|km|0}} of designated roadways.<ref>{{cite web |last=Friedman |first=Ron |url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel/Haifa-to-get-new-Metronit-Bus-Rapid-Transit-system-by-2011 |title=Haifa to get new 'Metronit' Bus Rapid Transit system by 2011 &#124; JPost &#124; Israel News |date=7 September 2009 |publisher=JPost |access-date=13 October 2013 |archive-date=5 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805154046/http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Haifa-to-get-new-Metronit-Bus-Rapid-Transit-system-by-2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yefenof.co.il/pages/lighTrain.php |title=Metronit |publisher=Yefenof.co.il |access-date=22 February 2008 |language=he |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221164200/http://www.yefenof.co.il/pages/lighTrain.php |archive-date=21 February 2008}}</ref> The new system officially opened on 16 August 2013 serving three lines.

Haifa is one of the few cities in Israel where buses operate on [[Shabbat]].<ref name=frommers>{{cite web |url=http://www.frommers.com/destinations/haifa/3709010002.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415053214/http://www.frommers.com/destinations/haifa/3709010002.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 April 2008 |title=Haifa: Planning a Trip |access-date=22 February 2008 |publisher=[[Frommer's|Frommers]]}}</ref> Bus lines operate throughout the city on a reduced schedule from late Saturday morning onwards, and also connect Haifa with Nesher, Tirat Karmel, [[Yokneam Illit|Yokneam]], Nazareth, [[Nazareth Illit]] and intermediate communities. Since the summer of 2008, night buses are operated by Egged in Haifa (line 200) and the [[Krayot (Haifa)|Krayot]] suburbs (line 210).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.egged.co.il/Eng/Main.asp?lngCategoryID=6100 |title=Night buses in Haifa & Krayot at the Egged official website |access-date=19 November 2008 |publisher=Egged |archive-date=11 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611073308/https://www.egged.co.il/Eng/Main.asp?lngCategoryID=6100 |url-status=dead}}</ref> During the summer of 2008 these lines operated 7 nights a week. Since 2013, along with route 1 of the Metronit, they operate 7 nights a week, making Haifa as the only city in Israel with 24/7 public transportation. Haifa is also the only city in Israel to operate a Saturday bus service to the beaches during summer time. Egged lines run during Saturday mornings from many neighborhoods to the [[Dado Beach|Dado]] and Bat Galim beaches, and back in the afternoon.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.egged.co.il/Eng/Main.asp?lngCategoryID=6096 |title=Summer routes to the beaches at the Egged official website |access-date=20 November 2008 |publisher=Egged |archive-date=27 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527112602/http://www.egged.co.il/Eng/Main.asp?lngCategoryID=6096 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Haifa cable car.jpg|thumb|A [[Aerial lift|Cable Car]] descending from Mount Carmel to Bat Galim]]
The Haifa subway system is called [[Carmelit]]. It is a subterranean [[funicular]] railway, running from downtown Paris Square to Gan HaEm (Mother's Park) on Mount Carmel.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Carmelit |url=http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c10/159 |access-date=19 February 2008 |publisher=Tour-Haifa.co.il |archive-date=4 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504211823/http://www.tour-haifa.co.il/eng/modules/article/view.article.php/c10/159 |url-status=live}}</ref> With a single track, six stations and two trains, it is listed in ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as the world's shortest metro line. The Carmelit accommodates bicycles.

Haifa also has two cable cars. The [[Bat Galim cable car]] consists of six cabins and connects Bat Galim on the coast to the Stella Maris [[Deck (building)|observation deck]] and monastery atop Mount Carmel. It serves mainly tourists.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wisdom.weizmann.ac.il/~bazlov/israel/haifa.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119220607/http://www.wisdom.weizmann.ac.il/~bazlov/israel/haifa.html |archive-date=19 January 2008 |title=Haifa |publisher=[[Weizmann Institute of Science|Weizmann Institute]] |access-date=22 February 2008}}</ref> Opened in April 2022, [[Rakavlit]], the second cable car, is a 4.4-kilometre commuter cable car service, running from HaMifratz Central Bus Station at the foot of Mount Carmel to the Technion, and then to the University of Haifa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.haifa.muni.il/apps/project/infrastructure/cablemifratz.asp |title=אתר עיריית חיפה – פרוייקטים |publisher=.haifa.muni.il |access-date=12 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618062954/http://www1.haifa.muni.il/apps/project/Infrastructure/cablemifratz.asp |archive-date=18 June 2013}}</ref>

===Air and sea transport===
[[File:Port of Haifa 2752-1.jpg|thumb|The Port of Haifa]]
[[Haifa Airport]] serves international charters to [[Cyprus]] ([[Larnaca Airport|Larnaca]] and [[Paphos Airport|Paphos]]).<ref name="HFA2023">{{cite news |title=Beginning in June: Direct flights from Haifa to Cyprus |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371454 |access-date=22 May 2023 |work=Israel National News |date=15 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref> Before [[COVID-19 pandemic]] Haifa Airport operated flights to [[Egypt]], [[Greece]], [[Jordan (country)|Jordan]] and [[Turkey]] as well as domestic flights to [[Tel Aviv]] ([[Sde Dov Airport]]) and [[Eilat]] ([[Eilat Airport]]).

There are currently plans to expand services from Haifa.

[[airHaifa]] is planning to launch operations during September 2024,<ref>{{cite news |title=Air Haifa to receive first aircraft this month |url=https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-air-haifa-to-receive-first-aircraft-this-month-1001483839 |access-date=9 July 2024 |work=Globes |date=9 July 2024 |language=en}}</ref> when at the beginning it will issue flights on the Haifa-[[Eilat]] route and later it will also fly to [[Republic of Cyprus|Cyprus]], [[Greece]] and [[Turkey]].<ref name="TTI">{{cite news |title='Air Haifa': New airline set to launch out of northern Israel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/air-haifa-new-airline-set-to-launch-out-of-northern-israel/ |access-date=26 May 2024 |publisher=The Times of Israel |date=19 September 2023}}</ref>

===Roads===
Travel between Haifa and the center of the country is possible by road with [[Highway 2 (Israel)|Highway 2]], the main highway along the coastal plain, beginning at Tel Aviv and ending at Haifa.<ref name=frommers/> Furthermore, [[Highway 4 (Israel)|Highway 4]] runs along the coast to the north of Haifa, as well as south, inland from Highway 2.<ref name=frommers/> In the past, traffic along Highway 2 to the north of Haifa had to pass through the downtown area of the city. The [[Carmel Tunnels]], opened for traffic 1 December 2010, now route this traffic under Mount Carmel, reducing congestion in the downtown area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ppp.mof.gov.il/Mof/PPP/MofPPPTopNavEnglish/MofPPPProjectsEnglish/PPPProjectsListEng/TashtiotTaburaEng/Carmeltunnels/ |title=Carmel Tunnels |publisher=Israel MOF |access-date=22 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712130111/http://ppp.mof.gov.il/Mof/PPP/MofPPPTopNavEnglish/MofPPPProjectsEnglish/PPPProjectsListEng/TashtiotTaburaEng/Carmeltunnels/ |archive-date=12 July 2012}}</ref>

==Sports==
[[File:SammyOferSTD.jpg|thumb|[[Sammy Ofer Stadium]]]]
The main stadiums in Haifa are: Sammy Ofer Stadium, a [[UEFA]]-approved 30,950-seat stadium, completed in 2014, replacing the 14,002-seat [[Kiryat Eliezer Stadium]] that was demolished 2016, [[Thomas D'Alesandro Stadium]] and Neve Sha'anan Athletic Stadium that seats 1,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/past_future/future_stadiums.shtml |title=Future Stadiums |publisher=World Stadiums |access-date=17 February 2008 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141127/http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_menu/past_future/future_stadiums.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref> The city's two main [[Association football|football clubs]] are [[Maccabi Haifa F.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] and [[Hapoel Haifa F.C.|Hapoel Haifa]] who both currently play in the [[Israeli Premier League]] and share the Sammy Ofer Stadium as their home pitch. Maccabi has won twelve Israeli titles, while Hapoel has won one.

Haifa has 4 [[Basketball|professional basketball]] clubs. [[Hapoel Haifa B.C.|Hapoel Haifa]] and [[Maccabi Haifa B.C.|Maccabi Haifa]] both play in the [[Israeli Basketball Super League]], the top division. They both also play at the [[Romema Arena]], which seats 5,000.

Maccabi Haifa Women plays in [[Israeli Female Basketball Premier League]] 1 division.

[[Hapoel Haifa W.B.C.|Hapoel Haifa Woman]] plays in the 3 division, the team plays at Kiryat Eliezer Arena.

The city also has an American football club, the [[Haifa Underdogs]], that are a part of the [[Israeli Football League]] and play in Yoqneam Stadium. The team lost in the championship game of the league's inaugural season, but won one title as part of [[American Football Israel]], which merged with the Israeli Football League in 2005. The city has several clubs in the regional leagues, including [[Beitar Haifa F.C.|Beitar Haifa]] in [[Liga Bet]] (the fourth tier) and [[Hapoel Ahva Haifa F.C.|Hapoel Ahva Haifa]], [[F.C. Haifa|F.C. Haifa Ruby Shapira]] and [[Maccabi Neve Sha'anan Eldad F.C.|Maccabi Neve Sha'anan Eldad]] in [[Liga Gimel]] (the fifth tier). The [[Haifa Hawks]] are an ice hockey team based out of the city of Haifa. They participate in the [[Israeli League (ice hockey)|Israeli League]], the top level of Israeli ice hockey. In 1996, the city hosted the [[Windsurfing|World Windsurfing Championship]].<ref name=foundation/> The [[Haifa Tennis Club]], near the southwest entrance to the city, is one of the largest in Israel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ic-tennis-gb.org/ReciprocalFacilities/tabid/69/Default.aspx |title=IC Members Facilities |publisher=ic-tennis.org |access-date=13 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404013120/http://www.ic-tennis-gb.org/ReciprocalFacilities/tabid/69/Default.aspx |archive-date=4 April 2009}}</ref> John Shecter, Olympic horse breeder and owner of triple cup champion Shergar was born here.

==Notable people==
{{main|List of people from Haifa}}

[[File:Gene Simmons 2012.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Gene Simmons]]]]
[[File:Leila Khaled (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Leila Khaled]]]]
* [[Abed Abdi]] (born 1942), Arab Palestinian painter and sculptor
* [[Ralph Bakshi]] (born 1938), animator and filmmaker<ref>Kasindorf, Martin. [https://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/14/archives/cartoon-vision-and-brownsville-reality-a-kind-of-xrated-disney.html "Cartoon vision and Brownsville reality"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 14, 1973. Accessed September 17, 2025. "His parents, Russian Jews who had emigrated to Palestine, brought Ralph and his older sister there from Haifa when he was 1 year old."</ref>
* [[Orr Barouch]] (born 1991), footballer
* [[Naftali Bennett]] (born 1972), politician
* [[Herzl Bodinger]] (1943–2025), general in the [[Israel Defense Forces]] who served from 1992 to 1996 as twelfth [[Commander of the Israeli Air Force]]<ref>Levaton, Stav. [https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/former-israel-air-force-chief-herzl-bodinger-dies-at-82/ "Former Israel Air Force chief Herzl Bodinger dies at 82"], ''[[The Times of Israel]]'', November 10, 2025. Accessed November 12, 2025. "Born in Haifa and raised in Kiryat Motzkin, Bodinger began his military career as a cadet in the Air Force youth program before enlisting in 1961 and volunteering for flight school."</ref>
* [[Aaron Ciechanover]] (born 1947), biologist; Nobel Prize, Chemistry
* [[Jonathan Erlich]] (born 1977), tennis player
* [[Ari Folman]] (born 1962), filmmaker, creator of ''[[Waltz with Bashir]]''
* [[Anastasia Gorbenko]] (born 2003), swimmer
* [[Lea Gottlieb]] (1918–2012), founder and fashion designer of [[Gottex]]
* [[Avram Hershko]] (born 1937), biochemist, 2004 Nobel Prize, Chemistry
* [[Leila Khaled]] (born 1944), former Palestinian militant and hijacker
* [[Jonatan Kopelev]] (born 1991), swimmer
* [[Shiri Maimon]] (born 1981), Hebrew singer, represented Israel in Eurovision 2005
* [[Adam Maraana]] (born 2003), swimmer
* [[Shahar Perkiss]] (born 1962), tennis player
* [[Yehuda Poliker]] (born 1950), Hebrew songwriter and folk singer
* [[Odeya Rush]] (born 1997), Hollywood actress and model
* [[Shem-Tov Sabag]] (born 1959), Olympic marathoner
* [[Yulia Sachkov]] (born 1999), world champion [[kickboxer]]
* [[Shachar Sagiv]] (born 1994), Olympic triathlete
* [[Gene Simmons]] (born 1949), musician who was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]]<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Playlist/nightline-playlist-gene-simmons/story?id=4330505 "Nightline Playlist: Gene Simmons"], ''[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]'', February 22, 2008. Accessed September 17, 2025. "Born Chaim Witz in Haifa, Israel, in 1949, Simmons was the only child of his mother, Florence Klein, a holocaust survivor. Simmons and his mother immigrated to the United States when he was 8 years old."</ref>
* [[Josef Singer]] (1923–2009), President of Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
* [[Uri Sivan]] (born 1955), physicist, professor, and President of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
* [[Hillel Slovak]] (1962–1988), founding guitarist of the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]]<ref>Zalman, Jonathan. [https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/remembering-hillel-slovak-the-forgotten-founder-of-the-red-hot-chili-peppers "Remembering Hillel Slovak, the Forgotten Founder of the Red Hot Chili Peppers"], ''[[Tablet (magazine)|Tablet]]'', June 25, 2018. Accessed September 17, 2025. "Slovak was born in Haifa in 1962. His mother, Esther, was a Polish Holocaust survivor, and his father, who was from Yugoslavia, also survived the Holocaust."</ref>
* [[Lior Suchard]] (born 1981), mentalist
* [[Keren Tzur]] (born 1974), actress
* [[Avi Wigderson]] (born 1956), mathematician and computer scientist, recipient of the 2021 [[Abel Prize]]

==Major terrorist attacks==
* [[Haifa Oil Refinery massacre|Haifa Oil Refinery massacre (1947)]]
* [[Haifa bus 16 suicide bombing|Haifa bus 16 suicide bombing (2001)]]
* [[Matza restaurant suicide bombing|Matza restaurant suicide bombing (2002)]]
* [[Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing|Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing (2003)]]
* [[Maxim restaurant suicide bombing|Maxim restaurant suicide bombing (2003)]]

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Israel}}
{{Baháʼí sidebar}}
Haifa is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=קשרים בינלאומיים |url=https://www.haifa.muni.il/city-and-muni/city-administration/international-relations/ |website=haifa.muni.il |publisher=Haifa |language=he |access-date=2021-12-20 |archive-date=20 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220100223/https://www.haifa.muni.il/city-and-muni/city-administration/international-relations/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=21em}}
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Marseille]], France (1962)
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Portsmouth]], United Kingdom (1962)
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]], United Kingdom (1968)
* {{flagicon|PHL}} [[Manila]], Philippines (1971)
* {{flagicon|USA}} San Francisco, United States (1973)
* {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Aalborg Municipality|Aalborg]], Denmark (1973)
* {{flagicon|RSA}} [[Cape Town]], South Africa (1975)
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Bremen]], Germany (1978)
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], United Kingdom (1979)
* {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Antwerp]], Belgium (1986)
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Mainz]], Germany (1987)
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Düsseldorf]], Germany (1988)
* {{flagicon|ARG}} [[Rosario, Santa Fe|Rosario]], Argentina (1988)
* {{flagicon|UKR}} [[Odesa]], Ukraine (1992)
* {{flagicon|PRC}} Shanghai, China (1994)
* {{flagicon|CYP}} [[Limassol]], Cyprus (2000)
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]], United States (2002)
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Erfurt]], Germany (2005)
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Mannheim]], Germany (2005)
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Shenzhen]], China (2012)
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Chengdu]], China (2013)
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Shantou]], China (2015)
{{div col end}}

==See also==
* [[Haifa Pride]]
* [[List of people from Haifa]]
* [[Wikimania#2011|Wikimania 2011]]
* [[List of clock towers]] – Haifa has an Ottoman clock tower next to the El-Jarina Mosque and the Saraya (government house), inaugurated {{Circa|1898}}-1900

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Citation |last= Lane-Poole |first= Stanley |author-link= Stanley Lane-Poole |title= Saladin and the Fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem |publisher= [[G. P. Putnam's Sons]] |location= London |year= 1906 |series= Heroes of the Nations |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=M7pIVpjuyw0C }}

==Further reading==
{{See also|Timeline of Haifa#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Haifa}}
* {{Cite book |first=Alex |last=Carmel |year=2002 |title=The History of Haifa Under Turkish Rule |edition=4th |publisher=Pardes |location=Haifa |isbn=978-965-7171-05-9 |language=he}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Shiller |first1=Eli |last2=Ben-Artzi |first2=Yossi |year=1985 |title=Haifa and its sites |publisher=Ariel |location=Jerusalem |language=he}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links |voy=Haifa |wikt=no |q=no |s=no |b=no |v=no}}
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Haifa |volume=12 |short=x}}
* [https://www.haifa.muni.il/English/Pages/default.aspx City of Haifa]

{{Haifa District}}
{{Largest Israeli cities}}
{{Crusader sites}}
{{Geography of Israel}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Haifa| ]]
[[Category:Arab Christian communities in Israel]]
[[Category:Crusader castles]]
[[Category:Castles and fortifications of the Kingdom of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Castles in Israel]]
[[Category:Cities in Haifa District]]
[[Category:Cities in Israel]]
[[Category:Baha'i holy cities]]
[[Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Israel]]
[[Category:Mixed Israeli communities]]
[[Category:Phoenician cities]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 1st century]]
[[Category:Ottoman clock towers]]
[[Category:Clock towers in Israel]]