Haifa

For other uses, see Haifa (disambiguation).

Haifa חיפה (Hebrew) حيفا (Arabic)
City
Skyline of Haifa from the Baháʼí World Centre Sail Tower Haifa Theatre IEC Tower Madatech Bat Galim Hadar HaCarmel Stella Maris Monastery
Flag Coat of arms
Map of Haifa
Haifa Location in Israel Haifa Haifa (Israel)
Coordinates: 32°49′09″N 34°59′57″E
Grid position	145/246 PAL
Country	Israel
District	Haifa
Subdistrict	Haifa
Founded	1st century CE
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Body	Municipality of Haifa
• Mayor	Yona Yahav
Area
• City	63,666 dunams (63.666 km2; 24.582 sq mi)
Population  (2024)
• City	297,082
• Density	4,666.3/km2 (12,086/sq mi)
• Urban	600,000
• Metro	1,050,000
Demonym	Haifan
Ethnicity
• Jews	73.1%
• Arabs	12.1%
• Others	14.8%
Time zone	UTC+2 (IST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (IDT)
Website	www.haifa.muni.il

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Haifa (/ˈhaɪfə/ HY-fə; Hebrew: חיפה, romanized: Ḥayfā, IPA: [ˈχajfa]; Arabic: حيفا, romanized: Ḥayfā, IPA: [ħaj.faː]) is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of 297,082 in 2024. The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area in Israel. It is home to the Baháʼí Faith's Baháʼí World Centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and destination for Baháʼí pilgrimage.

Built on the slopes of Mount Carmel, the settlement has a history spanning more than 3,000 years. Over the millennia, the Haifa area has changed hands: being conquered and ruled by the Canaanites, Israelites, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Hasmoneans, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, and the British. The earliest known settlement in the vicinity was Tell Abu Hawam, a small port city established in the Late Bronze Age (14th century BCE). In the 3rd century CE, Haifa was known as a dye-making center. Haifa el-Atika, 5 km northwest of Tell Abu Hawam, is the former site of Haifa as it existed between the 11th–18th centuries. In the late Ottoman period, in the 1760s, Haifa el-Atika was relocated 2.5 kilometres (1+1⁄2 miles) to the east as a new, fortified town, today known as the Old City of Haifa.

Whilst in the late 19th century the population was almost exclusively Arab, it was a mixed city during the Mandate period, with a balanced population mix of a 55% Jewish majority alongside a 45% Arab minority by 1945. During and after the Battle of Haifa in the 1948 Palestine war, most of the city's Arab population fled or were expelled and the Old City was subsequently demolished. That year, the city became part of the then-newly established state of Israel. Today it is one of Israel's mixed cities, with an Arab-Israeli population of c.10%.

As of 2016, the city is a major seaport located on Israel's Mediterranean coastline in the Bay of Haifa covering 63.7 km² (24.6 sq mi). It lies about 90 km (56 mi) 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 Israel's economy. It is home to Matam, one of the oldest and largest high-tech parks in the country; and prior to the opening of Tel Aviv Light Rail, Haifa was the only Israeli city with an underground rapid transit system, known as the Carmelit. Haifa Bay is a center of heavy industry, petroleum refining and chemical processing. Haifa formerly functioned as the western terminus of an oil pipeline from Iraq via Jordan.