Achziv National Park

About

The Achziv National Park tells a tale of biblical history and modern nonconformity. The tiny fishing village in the park was mentioned in the Book of Joshua as one of the nine cities of the Kingdom of Judah, and was later held by the Crusaders, Mamluks, and Ottomans. In 1952, the Iranian-born Eli Avivi moved into the village, and in protest of the Israeli government’s plan to demolish the town in 1971, he declared it an independent state. For this, he was charged with “Creating a Country Without Permission”, a crime which doesn’t exist, and was granted a 99 year lease of the land in recompense. Today, the Achziv National Park offers visitors the opportunity to sun themselves on one of Israel’s best beaches and explore the town’s Ottoman architecture before crossing the border to the compound-cum-country for a passport stamp and its eccentric museum filled with everything from antiquities to newspaper clippings.