Mountain in Israel Valley 5. Mountains of Israel
Near the border with Syria ancient volcano, which has long been extinguished, but left Mount Bental. It is located in the northwestern part of the famous Golan Heights.
The guide in Israel will tell you that in 1973 military operations took place here, Mount Bental (1170 m high) was the main strategic point. The Syrian-Israeli Yom Kopur War saw heavy fighting in the area between Mount Hermon and Bental.
Between Hell and Heaven in Jerusalem.
Therefore, a piece of land is called the "Valley of Tears".
There were 1,500 tanks from the Syrian side, and 1,000 artillery pieces. Israel could only oppose 160 tanks and 60 guns. The Israelis heroically held out, and even captured most of the enemy's guns.
Tour with a private guide through the modern valley
Now the valley is visited by thousands of tourists, you can book a tour with a private guide in Israel, who will answer all your questions. Here, the border with Syria is also clearly visible from above. The sites belonging to Israel are covered with gardens and fields. The serpentine road leads up the mountain, there is history and beautiful views.
From the mountain, in good weather, the 1st kibbutz “Merom Golan”, which was created after the war in 1967, is perfectly visible. sides are Druze villages.
Tours in Israel often include a visit to Mount Bental. A museum of the war years has been opened here, a Syrian dugout made of stones has been preserved. You can see the most fortified section of the Golan Heights on the top of the mountain.
A sign was installed nearby, where you can see the distance to neighboring cities, so Damascus (the capital of Syria) is 60 km from the valley.
Sculptor Joop De Jong created an alley of figures on the mountain from pieces of military equipment of those years. These are small monuments made of metal and wood in the form of monsters.
The tour ends with a descent from the mountain to the mouth of the Jordan.
Holidays at Mount Bental
You can relax near Mount Bental in the cafe "Anan", where excellent cuisine, as well as a beautiful panoramic view of Syria and the heights. In winter, it often snows here, clouds are almost constantly hanging (“aniam” in Hebrew). Clouds stop the tops of the mountain.
Near the settlement "Marom Golan", where the restaurant "Ha-Bokrim" is famous. For those wishing to spend a few days here, excellent “guest houses” (“cimers”) are rented out. Many of them are made of wood, beautiful on the outside, but inside there are large comfortable beds and a jacuzzi.
Sightseeing tours in Israel are most often focused on other places and attractions. Few people know about Mount Bental, but no one regretted that they decided to come here.
Guide to Israel - Ekaterina Khmeleva
Hinnom, the valley of Hinnom, the valley of the sons of Hinnom(Nav. XV, 8, IV Kings XXIII, 10, Jer. II, 23, etc.) - was a deep and narrow ravine with steep banks to the south. from. side of Jerusalem; the name was given to the valley, it is believed (Stanley) from the ancient hero, the son of Hinnom who had his own property here. At the bottom of the valley flows a small stream that flows into the Kidron stream. Here, even in the time of Solomon, heights were erected and temples were built for Astarte, Chemosh and Moloch (III Kings XI, 7, IV Kings XXIII, 13). Ahaz and Manasseh made incense to idols here, and the first led his sons through the fire (IV Kings XVI, 3, II Chr. XXVIII, 3). The vile custom of sacrificing children to Moloch in Tophet in the south-east.
Valley of Hinnom
the aforementioned valley persisted for a long time. Subsequently c. Josiah, destroying idolatry, defiled this place (IV Kings XXIII, 10, 12, 14), forcing human bones to be thrown into it; and from that time on, the valley of Hinnom became, apparently, a dumping ground for all kinds of sewage taken out of the city, the corpses of executed criminals, fallen animals, etc., and to destroy these and the stench that occurred due to their decay, a constant the fire. Therefore, over time, she became terrible and disgusting for Israel, and they began to call her Gehenna, Gehenna fiery, using this word to depict the eternal torment of sinners after death (Matt. V, 22). According to some rabbis, the valley of Hinnom should serve as the gates of hell. Now among the Arabs it is called: Wadi Jegennam or Wadi Er Rubeb. At the bottom of the valley of Hinnom olive and other fruit trees grow, and its sides contain many burial caves. At the eastern end of the valley, according to legend, was Akeldama (see Akeldama). During the Crusades, another tree was pointed out here, on which Judas hanged himself. Nowhere in the vicinity of Jerusalem are burial caves so well preserved as in the valley of Hinnom; most of them are very ancient and are small gloomy caves with narrow entrances carved into the rock. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when this place will no longer be called Tophet, or the valley of the sons of Hinnom, but the valley of the slaughter, Jeremiah once prophesied(XIX, 6). And indeed, says one of the newest travelers, wherever you turn your gaze in this place, it stops everywhere at the tombs and burial caves; many of them are dilapidated, others are completely destroyed and crushed, like the very people who once defiled this place ... 3 here is eternal, so to speak, memento mori ... (Pierotti).
◄ HennathanEnnom, the valley of Hinnom, the valley of the sons of HinnomEnon
Israel
in photos
Jerusalem ancient holy city, the capital of Israel. Located on the watershed between the Mediterranean and the Dead Seas.
The Temple Mount is a high-walled square overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. The height of the wall at its highest point reaches 45 meters. Excavations inside the temple mount are currently underway. This is where the Knights Templar was founded.
Al-Aqsa Mosque (Masjid Al-Aqsa) is located on the Temple Mount of Jerusalem, which is the third holiest site in Islam.
The Dome of the Rock is located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. An Islamic sanctuary above the foundation stone (it is considered the stone of the universe, since it was from it that the Lord began the Creation of the world).
The Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection of Christ, better known as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, rises on the spot where, according to the Holy Scriptures, Jesus Christ was crucified, buried, and then resurrected. The ceremony of the convergence of the Holy Fire is held annually in the temple.
Church of the Holy Sepulcher
The Western Wall, the Wailing Wall or A-Kotel is located around the western slope of the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is a symbol of faith and hope. The photo shows a panorama of the Western Wall with the Dome of the Rock (left) and Al-Aqsa Mosque (right).
The Temple of the Book is a museum in Jerusalem that houses rare manuscripts, in particular Bible manuscripts. The choice of color and shape of the building is not accidental - it symbolizes the lifelong struggle of light and darkness, good and evil, Truth and Falsehood.
Sunset over the valley (desert) Arava (Arab), located on the territory of Israel and Jordan, south of the Dead Sea. View from Israel towards Jordan.
Surf on the Dead Sea and salt deposits on the rocks. One of the most salty reservoirs on Earth, drainless.
The Israeli coast of the Gulf of Aqaba in the north of the Red Sea.
A small part of the coast at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba belongs to Israel. Tourists are attracted by clear water and rich undersea world. Therefore, diving is popular here.
The Israeli port of Eilat is located in the northern part of the Gulf of Aqaba. Therefore, in Israel, the name of the Gulf of Eilat is still common. Located on the shore of the bay ancient city Eilat, which existed during the time of King Solomon.
Israel Tours: Mount Bental
On the photo northern beach cities.
Monument to the raising of the ink flag - a symbol of the victory of the Israel Defense Forces in Eilat during the Arab-Israeli war (1941-1949).
Ramon Crater is an erosion crater in the Negev Desert, Israel.
Cliff of Ramon crater.
The Judean Desert is located in Israel west coast Dead Sea.
According to religious sources, on the northwestern border of the Judean desert, at the mouth of the Jordan River, John the Baptist baptized people.
Jordan is mentioned in the Old Testament as a place of various events, including miraculous ones. The river originates at the foot of Mount Hermon and flows into the Dead Sea.
The Judean Mountains are located in the east of Israel around Jerusalem to the Judean Desert, which descends to the Dead Sea. There are many churches and monasteries in the Judean Mountains.
Near Jerusalem in Ein Karem is the Mountain Monastery or Gorniy. In the distance is the Church of All Saints Who Resplendent in the Russian Land, in the vicinity is the Catholic Church of the Visitation.
Desert hills of southern Judea (extensive historical area Land of Israel south of Samaria) near Arad.
Hula Lake is located in northern Israel, 20 km from Lake Tiberias. The lake was formed about 25 thousand years ago as a result of volcanic eruptions. These places are one of the stops and rest points for migratory birds. Some birds (for example, cranes) remain to winter in the valley.
Lake Tiberias or Sea of Galilee freshwater lake in northeast Israel. In ancient and modern Israel, the name of the lake "Kinneret" is accepted and is explained by the external shape of the lake, resembling a harp. In the Old Testament, the lake is referred to as "the sea of Kinneref" or "the sea of Hinneref".
View of the city of Tiberias (Tiberias), located on west bank Lake Tiberias in northeastern Israel. Tiberias is one of the four holy cities for the Jews. Today the city is one of the tourist destinations.
View of Tiberias, Israel.
Harbor of Tiberias. Israel.
Yardenit is a complex of buildings and structures on the Jordan River, located in northern Israel, a few kilometers south of the city of Tiberias, where the Jordan River flows from the Kinneret, and was built in 1981. Here the symbolic rite of baptism of believers of the Greek Orthodox Church and Catholics takes place.
North of Tiberias, on the northwestern shore of Lake Tiberias, is the ancient city of Capernaum, where Jesus Christ lived and preached. The photo shows the ruins of Capernaum, in the background is a modern Catholic church built over the place where the house of the Apostle Peter stood.
Most famous historical place in Hebron - the Cave of Machpelah (Cave of the Patriarchs) - the crypt of the patriarchs, located in the ancient part of Hebron. According to the Bible, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are buried here, as well as their wives Sarah, Rebekah and Leah. According to Jewish tradition, the bodies of Adam and Eve are also buried here.
3 km from the cave of Makhpela is the Orthodox Russian male Monastery of the Holy Trinity or Metochion in honor of the Holy Forefathers. Hebron, Israel.
On the territory of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity is the Oak of Mamre, under which, according to legend, Abraham received three angels who appeared to him. This evergreen Palestinian oak is believed to be around 5,000 years old.
Jezreel Valley and Mount Tabor. Most of the valley is occupied by very fertile farmland. In the eastern part of the Jezreel Valley, Mount Tabor rises separately. In Christianity, it is traditionally considered the place of the Transfiguration of the Lord. But there is a version that Jesus Christ was transformed to the north on Mount Hermon. On the top of Mount Tabor there are two operating monastery(Orthodox and Catholic).
Samaria - the historical region of Israel, whose name comes from the name of the city of Samaria, in the north Samaria borders on the Jezreel Valley, in the south - on the Judean Mountains.
The Mount of Olives, or Mount of Olives, is a hill that stretches from north to south against the eastern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was planted with olives, hence the name. The Mount of Olives has three peaks.
Kidron Valley limits Old city Jerusalem from the east and separates the Temple Mount from Olivet.
View of the ruins of ancient Caesarea. Caesarea is an ancient city located on the Mediterranean coast of modern Israel.
Safed is one of the four holy cities in northern Israel. It is located on the top of one of the mountains of the Upper Galilee, from the height of which opens amazing beautiful view: in the southeast Lake Tiberias, in the west - the Mediterranean Sea and in the north - the peak of Hermon covered with snow.
The city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa (Tel Aviv) is the second largest city in Israel in terms of population, located on east coast Mediterranean Sea. The city was formed in 1950 by the merger of the relatively young city of Tel Aviv with the ancient city of Jaffa.
Tel Aviv beach.
Tel Aviv beach.
Luna Park in Tel Aviv is one of the attractions of the city.
Jaffa or Jaffa (Yafo, Joppa) is one of the main ports of ancient Israel, the city is united with Tel Aviv into a single city. Nevertheless, Jaffa retained its originality. The population here is unusual - artists, musicians, sculptors and other people of creative specialties. Pictured is the Artists' Quarter in Jaffa.
Port of Jaffa.
Panoramic photo of the city of Haifa, the third largest city in Israel, lies on the slopes of Mount Carmel (mountain range).
The Temple of the Bab is the main temple of the Baha'i religion, located in the city of Haifa. Around the temple are surrounded by stunning gardens, which also belong to the object. world heritage.
The symbol of the Carmel district, named after the mountain of the same name, the city of Haifa is shopping center"Panorama". Two towers rise on it: the Dan Panorama hotel is located in the left tower, and a residential building is located in the right tower. Next to the building is the Gan a-Em park.
The port in Ashdod is the fifth most populated city in Israel, located on the Mediterranean coast, 30 km from Tel Aviv.
The port of Akko is located 23 km from Haifa, on the Mediterranean coast. The photo shows the old city, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. To the right is the clock tower of the Al-Umdan inn, with Mount Carmel on the horizon.
Nazareth is a holy Christian city in northern Israel, the third largest after Jerusalem and Bethlehem. According to the Gospel, it was here that the Annunciation took place and the childhood and youth of Jesus Christ passed.
An archaeological site is located 6 km northwest of Nazareth and national park Sepphoris (Tzipori). On the territory of the park there are archaeological sites, such as: the ancient Jewish city of Tzippori, the parental home of the Virgin Mary, the remains of the Crusader fortress and many others. Also one of the attractions of Tzippori is the preserved mosaic.
Wadi in the Negev desert, Israel.
In the Israel Valley
To have an idea of what the Zionists have done in Palestine, one has to look at Emek. Emek in Hebrew means valley. When they say "Emek" without an adjective, everyone understands that this is the Ezdralon Valley, the valley of Israel, the beauty and pride of the Zionist experience. Here travelers are told:
Don't you dare leave Palestine without seeing Emek.
It is the largest Palestinian plain, with an area of six hundred thousand dunams. In the west, it adjoins the Zebulun Valley, which lies at the very Haifa Bay, then it goes in a wide strip in the east, below Nazareth and on the eastern side of Palestine merges with the Jordan Depression. From above the valley is bounded by the Galilee mountains, from below by the mountains of Samaria. Protected from all sides, it blooms like a greenhouse in the desert; a huge Jewish economy, a place where so much Jewish labor and money is laid.
One fine, sunny morning (however, there can be no other morning in Palestine), we left Haifa with a friend and headed for Emek, past the electric station and the famous cement plant, famous themes that it is the largest factory in Palestine. Chimneys were smoking over the factory. To the left stretched the heights of Carmel, the mountains of the prophet Elijah and Baal, the abode of gazelles and pagan gods, the mountains, about which the poet from the Song of Songs said: “Your head is like Carmel; and the hair on your head is like purple; the king is carried away by your curls.” ..
And ahead, the gates of the Ezdralon Valley are already opening: between the bluish Galilean hills and the purple mountains of Samaria. The ancient river Kishon flows below the bridge, the same river on which nine hundred iron chariots of Canaan died for the glory of Israel. Far away on the hills are the German colonies, Waldheim and the Galilean Bethlehem, and here we are in Emek, spreading its arable land, fields and gardens for tens of kilometers.
Even before the war, the National Foundation (Keren Kayemet) began to acquire land here from the Arabs and founded the first Jewish colony. After the war, Keren Hayesod (Reconstruction Fund) took care of the settlers on the newly acquired lands, and now there are over twenty-five colonies in the valley. They are organized on various principles, from private farming on plots hereditarily leased from Keren Kayemet to communist colonies, the so-called "kvuts", which resemble Russian collective farms, but compare favorably with the latter in that they were created voluntarily, without any there was compulsion, due to idealistic motives, to apply new forms of labor in Palestine.In the settlements of a different kind, in the "workers' settlements" as they are called here, each family lives on its own farm, without hired labor. Such farms are united, of course, in a cooperative form and are bound by mutual support.
We spent the whole day in one of these villages. Nahalal is one of the largest and most comfortable colonies in Emek. Its fertile lands lie on the site of drained swamps. A lot of work went into this business. About 70 years ago, the Germans and Arabs tried to do the same, left dozens of people mowed down by malaria in the neighboring cemetery, but could not cope with the difficult task. The Jews were more fortunate. Enormous funds were required to drain the smelly swamps, which were filled with water from neighboring hills. In 1921, the Jews laid 18 kilometers of concrete drainage pipes, from 20 to 50 santa. in diameter, and coped with the smelly and malarial nature of the swamps. The water was diverted to the river. Kishon. Now the mountain springs feed the village with healthy drinking water and irrigate the fields and "pardes". The necessary funds were provided by the Zionist organizations.
The village of Nahalal lies in an ellipse. In the center there are public buildings, a cooperative, sheds with cars, a post office, a school, a dairy farm and straw warehouses. The ellipsis is formed by the houses of the colonists, from the houses and outbuildings fields, vegetable gardens and orchards diverge into sectors. There are a total of one hundred households in the village. Each has 12 dunams (a dunam is a tenth of a hectare) of arable land. They are engaged here, as elsewhere in Emek, in agriculture, gardening, chicken breeding and dairy farming.
It was interesting to take a closer look at a new type of Jew - the Jewish digger. The same tanned faces as the peasants of the whole world, the same peasant wrinkles, calloused hands, the ability to handle an ax or a shovel. A whole gulf lies between this measure of arable land, odorous straw and rich greenery of gardens and some Polish or Belarusian Jewish town. Here, in the full sense of the word, a revival of the race took place. But people came here with the conviction to build their own home on earth, idealists, for the most part intellectuals, convinced supporters of the Zionist idea, therefore, in their work and life, that creative excitement still hovers, which animates the hard work of the peasants, when it is not under pressure, not for the sake of one's daily bread, but in the voice of duty and calling.
It took a whole day to explore the village. The owner of one of the plots showed his farm with visible pleasure and pride.
The houses of the settlers are of the same type, without roofs, with several rooms, with terraces, with a shower, which is so necessary for the farmer in the summer. There is a garden near the house, and in it there are flowers and several fruit trees, pomegranate or apple trees and pears. Outbuildings behind the house. In the cemented barn we saw beautiful cows, a mixture of Syrian and Dutch breeds, multi-dairy, easily enduring the peculiarities of the local climate. We have seen hundreds of snow-white American Leghorns, where they are brought up and fed according to all the rules of chicken science. For chickens, for example, it is necessary to swallow sand and pebbles in order to grind food in the stomach. Since in an industrial economy they do not see ordinary land, in which one can look out with a round eye for anything - both grain and a grain of sand, there are bags with crushed shells by the chicken coop. They are mixed into chicken food.
In a special room there are incubators, a kind of strong lacquered boxes, upholstered in copper, with heating pads and all sorts of devices, and a gray melancholy mule, a household helper, stands against the wall. Further on there are irrigated gardens, "pardes" and vines. The houses of the beehives stand in rows behind those trees for which there is still no firmly established name in Russian, and which in English are called "grape-fruits". And there are already fields of harvested wheat and a wide a landscape of Emek with hills on the horizon, with a cloud of smoke from burning herbs rising to the sky like a column.It reminds of this peaceful agricultural smoke, of the biblical battles that were fought with the Philistines and Amalekites in the local fields in the days of King Saul and Gideon.In one of these battles, when the burning villages of Israel were smoking, Saul died, throwing himself on his own sword, and his sons, armor-bearers and people fell with him.
At noon, the whole family gathers to the table. A daughter, tanned in the vineyards, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, comes in, takes a shower, exchanges comfortable "shorts" for an ordinary women's dress. Her husband and children come from the chicken coops - foster children from Germany, of whom there are fifty people in the village. On the table are vegetables, chicken, eggs, and next to the plate is Prof. Kleusner's latest book: "Jesus of Nazareth", in Hebrew, which should be read from right to left, and flipped from left to right.
The general impression: a healthy and sensible life, and around this life - the smell of straw, milk and dung, cocksong, donkeys screaming, evening conversations after dinner on biblical topics, when the white moon rises over the hills of Galilee, and Jewish girls laugh in a neighboring garden. ..
There is an agricultural school near the village. One hundred girls study here practically and theoretically Agriculture, chicken breeding and dairy business. A young Jewess, who until recently had written in the Berlin newspapers, had not yet had time to tan under the sun of Palestine, showed us exemplary chicken coops and barnyards. Poor chickens! They're just factories here to get a certain number of eggs a year. In the stone barn, forty black cows chewed their food, jingling their chains, and filled the large room with the warmth of their breath, the noise of chewing hay, the smell of fresh milk, and most of all, warm cow sighs. I wanted to get closer and look at these beautiful and peaceful animals. But a young cowgirl in shorts jumped out of the barn, with the legs of young Flora, and announced that the entrance to the barn was forbidden for outsiders. Here the health of cows is protected more than the health of people. A visitor can bring microbes of some kind of disease into the barn, and each such cow is a treasure.
Then we were shown a large cooperative shop where you can buy everything that is required in daily life, from tea utensils to writing paper. After all, there are 600 people in the colony, a school and Kindergarten, a library where everything that is published in the Hebrew language is collected. Life is in full swing. Under the canopy of the shed stands a "harvester" - a terrible structure made of wheels and pipes, which mows wheat, threshes it, knits straw and throws out bags of already prepared grain ... In a dairy, where milk is evaluated not only by quantity, but also by the content of liters , heavy cans are ready to sink onto the stone and head to the warehouses of Tnuva, a cooperative agricultural purchasing organization that supplies dairy products and eggs to all of Palestine.
But dusk in the east comes almost instantly. And then another side of the life of the Jewish colony opened up to me. Some of the colonists, who were next in line, threw on their jackets - Palestinian nights are cool - and went to sleep in the appointed place. This is self-defense. The government gave the colonists a certain amount of weapons in case of an attack on Jewish villages, and people, after a hard day, had to protect their property, their homes and pardes. After all, close to Nazareth, Arab villages. All around, electric lights in neighboring colonies were lit in the darkness. On the water tower in the middle of the village, a light alarm began to flash - the colony spoke in Morse code with its neighbors to ask how things were going, to provide assistance if necessary, to notify the police by phone. Then a searchlight was lit and slowly led a sheaf of light over the surrounding hills and arable land. From this light, the night is even more fragrant, the trees are even blacker. But everything seems to be calm. There were never any attacks on the colonies. Was it not this rather modest searchlight that guarded the colony with its mystical eye and inspired fear in the Arabs?
And in the morning again on the road, again circling in a car along the bumpy country roads of Emek, past the colony, past the young forest of Balfuria, to get onto the Tiberias highway. Good thing you can't see railway, nor that notorious oil pipeline that crosses the entire Esdrelon valley, and only hills are visible on the horizon, and round clouds above them, and on the sides of the country road there are fields, stubble on which sheep graze, again hills, again round, white clouds above the hills and somewhere below them is the small village of Sulim, the ancient Shulem, where stood among the vineyard the house of Sulamith, who went out early in the morning to see if the flowers of the pomegranate trees had blossomed.
Notes
The Jezreel Valley (Megiddo Valley) is a valley in the Lower Galilee. It stretches from Mount Carmel in the west to the Jordan in the east, the length is about 40 km, the maximum width - between Mount Kedumim and the Dotan Valley - is over 20 km, the second largest (367 km²) after the Jordanian Inland Valley of Israel. Separating the mountains of Galilee from the mountains of Samaria, it forms a kind of gorge between the Jordan and the lowlands of the Haifa Bay. In the valley flows the Harod River, which flows into the Jordan, and the Kishon River, which flows into the Haifa Gulf of the Mediterranean Sea. Near its mouth is the port of Kishon. named after Israeli city Jezreel (literally "sow / sow / God"), which was in ancient times in the center of the valley. According to Wikipedia.
Canaan (Hebrew כְּנַעַן , Arabic کنعان) is the western part of the Fertile Crescent. The word "Canaan" (Knaan) comes from a Semitic root meaning "to bend down"; this name in biblical times was borne by the country extending west from the Jordan. Currently divided between Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. According to Wikipedia.
Dunam (from Turkish dönüm) is an area unit used to measure the area of land in countries that were under the rule of Ottoman Empire: Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Northern Cyprus, Libya, as well as in the countries of the former Yugoslavia.
The metric dunam currently used in Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey is:
1000 m²
0.001 square kilometers
0.2471 acres
1196 square yards
10760 square feet
in Northern Cyprus 1 donum = 4 evlek = 14400 square feet = 1337.8 m²
According to Wikipedia.
The Philistines (Hebrew פלישתים, Plishtim - invading) - an ancient people who inhabited the coastal part of Palestine (from modern Tel Aviv to Gaza). Repeatedly mentioned in the Old Testament (beginning with Genesis 10:13), as well as in Assyrian and Egyptian. According to Wikipedia.
The Amalekites are a nomadic people in the south of Canaan, descendants of Esau's grandson Amalek, conquered by Saul and David. This people was also called Omai and Amu. According to the Pentateuch, the Amalekites are the enemies of the Jewish people. According to Judaism, the offspring of Amalek exists as long as the offspring of Israel exists. The Almighty allows the offspring of Amalek to exist so that Israel does not go astray. As soon as Israel changes its right path, that is, sins, then the offspring of Amalek immediately strengthens, that is, the descendants of Amalek rule, terrorizing Israel. The offspring of Amalek weaken only when Israel returns to the righteous path. In ancient Persia, a descendant of Amalek, Haman, was the vizier under King Ahasuerus. Haman's intrigues almost led to the extermination of all Jews in the territory of the Persian Empire. In the end, the vizier Aman was executed, and 10 of his sons were hanged. In honor of these events, Jews celebrate Purim. According to Wikipedia.
Saul (Hebrew שָׁאוּל, Shaul; lit. `borrowed [from God]`) - the first king of the united kingdom of Israel (about 1029-1005 BC), the son of Kish (Kish) from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul's residence was in Gibeah, which he made his capital. According to Wikipedia.
Gideon - one of the most famous judges of Israel, originally from Opra. Taking advantage of the moral decline and political fragmentation of the Jews, the Midianites and other "sons of the East" launched invasions against them from year to year, poisoning the sown fields, stealing cattle and plundering all property. "And Israel became very poor." The oppression lasted seven years, and only when the people despaired of their deliverance did Gideon appear, "the brave warrior," as his name suggests. His two older brothers died in the fight against the enemies of Israel. Having received a higher calling for the deliverance of the people, Gideon, with a small detachment, made a successful night attack on the Midianites; in terror and the turmoil of the night, they cut each other down and fled in disarray beyond the Jordan, leaving Canaan alone for a long time. The fame of Gideon's victory spread throughout the country, and a grateful people offered him hereditary royal dignity; but he renounced this power, which he saw as a violation of the theocratic principle. The land under his rule prospered for forty years. Gideon himself lived to a ripe old age, leaving 70 sons from his many wives. Among the people, Gideon also received the nickname Jerovaal, that is, “opponent of Baal,” for destroying the altar established in honor of this pagan deity. Gideon's story is told in Judg. 6-7. According to Wikipedia.
Shulamita, Shulamith (Hebrew שולמית, Shulam(m)it) is a biblical character, the heroine of the Song of Songs, the beloved (bride) of King Solomon. The name of Shulamite occurs in the text of the Bible only in one place (Songs 7:1). Most often, the name Shulamites is considered a derivative of the toponym Sunem (Sunam), in particular, there are hypotheses that identify Shulamite and Abishag the Sunamite. The swarthy skin of the bride (Song 1:4) allows some commentators to assume that Shulamita is the Queen of Sheba or the Pharaoh's daughter - one of Solomon's wives. A group of “folklore hypotheses”, which consider the Song of Songs to be a collection of wedding hymns, suggests that the name Shulamite is a derivative of the name of Solomon (Hebrew שְׁלמה, Shlomo) and actually means the solemn naming of the bride during the wedding ceremony, as Solomon is only symbolic naming the groom. According to Wikipedia.
After three posts about the Old City of Jerusalem, we will leave the city walls and walk around the area to the east. We will descend from the Temple Mount to the Kidron Valley, and then we will climb the Mount of Olives or the Mount of Olives or the Mount of Olives and look at the holy places from the height of the opposite hill. You can get there in three ways, either exit the eastern Lion Gate of the city at the very beginning of Via Doloroa, or go around the Old City from the north or south, from Zion, along the city wall. We did not go from the north, but walked through the gate and from Zion, so this post is a summary of two walks in East Jerusalem.
1-2. Bypassing the Old City from the south, it is most convenient to go not along the road with busy traffic, but along the path along the fortress wall, leaving the Temple Mount with its holy places on the left. Oddly enough, this is a deserted and rarely visited by tourists terraced mountainside with excellent views of the Mount of Olives and an old Muslim cemetery. There is no descent down, so for a further walk you will still need to reach the Lion Gate and get to the fork in the road there.
3-4. The Arab cemetery is littered and half-abandoned, although some tombstones speak of those buried here back in the 80s of the XX century. And for the first time they began to bury Muslims here since the time of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century.
4-5. The widespread notion that the Messiah would enter through the Golden Gate led the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent to have the gate walled up in 1541. In addition, Muslims placed a cemetery in front of the gate, which is considered an unclean place in Judaism. And in order to absolutely stop the passage of unwanted characters, the Sultan ordered to bury the Ottoman soldiers under the Golden Gate, so that during the general reincarnation they would also rise and not let the revived inhabitants of the Jewish cemeteries on that slope to the Temple Mount. So for almost half a millennium, some dead have been guarding others. This is Jerusalem, here the symbolism in the interweaving of religions rolls over.
6. And of the living guards, we met only a bored patrol of the Israeli military, buried in their smartphones. Near East Jerusalem, the eternal stumbling block in the Holy Land, so there are a lot of military and police here, just outside the Lion Gate there is a police post that checks cars with Arabic numbers. And I took a picture with one of the fighters.
7. We pass the Lions gate, why lions - look at the decorations on the sides of the arch. For some reason, on the map of the city, they are called the gates of St. Stephen, although they are not called that anywhere in Jerusalem. Through them, according to Christian tradition, Jesus entered Jerusalem before his execution.
8. If we go back a little and cast a glance from under the city walls, then the main landmark for us will be the imposing Church of All Nations and the golden domes of the Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene.
9. Going down the road, it is easy to pass the descent down the stairs on the left side, if you stand with your back to the Old Town. Down there is a small and not very remarkable church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a Serbian priest who speaks good Russian, and for some reason mistook me for a Pole. And the Arab gatekeeper just hurt himself into a cake to earn baksheesh.
10. And we go further along the road to the Church of all nations located on the site of the Garden of Gethsemane. Behind remains the Greek monastery of St. Stephen, founded on the site of the alleged murder of the first Christian martyr stoned in Jerusalem by the verdict of the Sanhedrin. That is, in the guidebooks it is listed as a church, but on the building itself it is indicated that this is a monastery.
11-13. The church of all nations is beautiful in its external design, with mosaics on the pediment, statues and symbols of the house of Baratheons on the roof
14-15. According to Christian tradition, this Franciscan Catholic church in the Garden of Gethsemane is built on the rock where, according to legend, Jesus Christ prayed in last night before arrest. It was built with the money of Catholics from many countries of the world, right at the entrance there is a text printed in A4 in four languages, explaining who invested in the temple.
16-18. Nearby is the Garden of Gethsemane directly, a fenced area of about 20 by 30 meters. Rather, this is the location of the garden according to the Catholic tradition, since the opinions of different churches spread this place up the slope, and to the left and to the right. However, some of the olive trees in the garden are very old.
19. One of the trees was planted by Pope Paul VI in 1964. For half a century, a tree grows like this:
20-21. Inside the church it is dark, only sunlight comes through the windows. According to legend, on this rock, Jesus Christ prayed for a cup, the very one about which E.L. Webber composed the immortal aria "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)" :)
22. To the side of the church, a little higher up the slope, are the remains of a Byzantine basilica discovered during construction.
23. We leave the church. We have two paths - up the slope to observation deck and down, across the road, into the Kidron Valley. We go up, intending to approach the golden domes of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene. It turns out that this is impossible, and moreover, it is impossible to see it from the road up the slope, even the top of the domes with crosses. A tall fence, above it rise tombstone Orthodox crosses. The photo turned out to be symbolic.
24-25. We go up past the seemingly endless Jewish cemetery. I doubt that I have seen burials of such monumentality, thousands, tens of thousands of graves on the slope of Olivet, and all because in the Jewish tradition, upon the arrival of the Messiah, the resurrection of the dead will begin right here, on this slope. And here they are buried starting from the period of the First Temple. Later I saw in Wiki the figure of 150,000 graves.
26-27. After the first Arab-Israeli war, the Jordanians used stones from the graves in construction, destroying, among other things, the graves of the middle of the 1st millennium BC. After the Six Day War, East Jerusalem was recaptured and the tombstones were restored. Now everything is quite well-groomed there, signs prohibit being in the cemetery without permission. But down in the Kidron Valley, the rains wash out human bones from underground.
28-29. And from here - beautiful views of the Temple Mount and the Old City.
30-31. But even more impressive are these tens of thousands of tombstones if you look at them from under the walls near the Temple Mount.
32. See the old tombs down in the valley? - this will be the last point of our journey, we go down to Kedron. Perhaps once a river flowed here - but now this is just a place for a walk with signs opposite the tombs and with a path between the lawns. Then the Arab quarters of East Jerusalem begin, we did not go there.
33. Closest to the road is the pagoda-shaped tomb of Absalom, the rebellious son of King David according to Jewish tradition, so for centuries passers-by, according to custom, threw a stone into the tomb, and regardless of their faith. Disobedient children were also brought here to teach.
34-36. Although modern views on the tomb attribute it no older than the Seleucid period, or even even to the first century AD, built for Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great. This is indicated by the combined hodgepodge of Greek elements, Doric frieze and Ionic columns. Inside, of course, the entrance is closed, but there is a small chamber with empty graves.
37. Nearby is the family tomb of the Khezirs, a priestly dynasty, erected sometime in the 2nd century BC, again with Hellenistic influences in decoration.
38-39. The second of the notable objects of the Kidron necropolis is the tomb of Zechariah, traditionally attributed to Zechariah Ben-Yodai, a priest of the 8th century BC, a character in the Tanakh. Again, this is a tomb carved entirely of stone, with a burial chamber at the base, with Ionic columns and a quite Egyptian pyramid at the top. And not earlier than the 2nd century BC.
In the process of compiling this entry, not being a historian or an expert in military affairs, it came to me to re-read more than one source of materials.
Firstly, it is strange, but many well-known travel bloggers make elementary mistakes in naming military equipment without bothering to double-check easily accessible information.
Secondly, data on the enemy's offensive strength vary considerably. I am still inclined to believe Wikipedia more, as some indicate the number of tanks is 2 times more than it actually was (according to the wiki).
Thirdly, there is a certain myth, in any case, the information is presented under such a sauce that it is better not to come here alone, it is not safe here, that it is better to use the services of a guide. If you need a guide in order not to run towards Syria through minefields or suddenly climb into Jordan, then, I don’t argue, otherwise, the place is safe, if, I repeat, you don’t go where you don’t need to - but there are everywhere about dangerous places warning signs, signs and inscriptions.
Yes, the place is far from the most popular among visiting tourists. Yes, there are frequent incidents without casualties with mines accidentally flown from Syria, but the conductor or the company will not save you from this (chronicle of incidents in the Golan in recent years: http://newsru.co.il/israel/09nov2016/golan_705.html ) Yes, only the wind howls around and almost not a soul around, but sometimes among people it is much more dangerous. I was completely alone here and felt completely safe.
Apparently, it is in these ways that other bloggers are trying to give weight to their supposedly unique reportage.
So, the Golan Heights is a disputed territory in the Middle East, currently completely controlled by Israel. From 1944 to 1967, it was part of the Syrian province of Quneitra, but was captured by Israel during the Six Day War from 5 to 10 June 1967. At the same time, the UN Security Council declared the annexation invalid. Now Israel and Syria consider the Golan Heights part of their territory.
This place is interesting primarily for its bloody and courageous history of the Israeli military, who for several days held their positions from the largest tank offensive of the troops of Syria and Egypt.
2. As we move towards the Golan Heights, nothing reminds or speaks of any hostilities that took place in these parts. On the road from Jerusalem, which is about 266 km. one way, most of the way, about 220 km. goes along motorways and only the last few tens of kilometers go along mountain roads.
3. I stopped in one "pocket", there is also a sign "SEA LEVEL" - we are at sea level. It also offers a view of Lake Kinneret - the lowest freshwater lake on Earth, also mentioned several times in the New Testament, in particular, it was its waters that held Jesus when he walked on water.
4. First advancing into the valley of Tel al-Saki, a narrow and very steep mountain road goes directly close to the Jordanian border. After the ascent, in the distance, then here and there periodically appears the highest point in Israel - Mount Hermon.
5. Now there is open ski resort, but once this mountain was also part of the history of war and hostilities.
6. The history of these places is difficult and ambiguous.
I will try to explain as briefly as possible and start by saying that when Syria declared independence in 1944, the territory of the Golan was included in its state borders. Then, on May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion proclaims the creation of an independent Jewish state, and the next day the Arab League declares war on Israel. Seven Arab states at once (Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Transjordan) attack a new country, thus starting the first Arab-Israeli war, called in Israel the "War of Independence".
7. Later, on July 20, 1949, as a result of the war between Israel and Syria, an Armistice Agreement is concluded. At the end of the war, in order to shell Jewish settlements in the Upper Galilee and the region of Lake Kinneret, the Syrians cover the Golan with a network of artillery positions and fortifications.
8. June 9 - 10, 1967, during the Six Day War, Israeli troops launch an offensive and, after 24 hours of heavy fighting, occupy the Golan Heights. Thus, the Golan Heights, after 23 years of Syrian control, pass to Israel.
9. However, comes October 6, 1973, when during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, on Sinai peninsula and the Golan begins a surprise attack by Egyptian and Syrian troops. By the beginning of the war, only 180 Israeli tanks are opposed by about 540 Syrian and Moroccan ones.
10. At the end of the first day of the war, the Syrians, at that time outnumbering the Israelis by 3 times, achieve some success, but the situation in the Golan begins to change radically after the arrival of reservists. The arriving troops were able to slow down and, starting from the second day of the war, stop the Syrian offensive. On the fifth day, the last Syrian combat unit is pushed beyond the pre-war ceasefire line.
11. As a result of the battle on the Golan, the Syrians were unable to break through the Israeli defenses and are retreating. Syria lost at least 500 tanks and other armored vehicles in the battle. Israel lost up to 80 tanks and armored vehicles. The human losses of Jews are about 3,000 people.
12. In our time, a large number of old Syrian minefields have been preserved here. Most of them are fenced and marked with warning signs, but they have not been neutralized. As a result, natural nature has been preserved on a large territory and there are places where no human has actually set foot since 1967.
13. The Israeli authorities, in memory of those bloody days, left many pieces of various military equipment in the Golan.
18. Destroyed armored personnel carrier of the Syrian armed forces BTR-152, built on the basis of the Soviet ZIS-151.
27. Artillery - Soviet 122mm howitzer D-30.
28. Fortifications in the Valley of Tears.
32. Half-track armored personnel carrier M3.
34. Another "Centurion".
35. Soviet-made Syrian tank T-62 in spotted coloring.
36. Fortifications of the hill in the heroic place of Tel-as-Saki.
37. A real military drama played out here, when several dozen fighters first withstood heavy enemy fire, and then, realizing that there was no way to retreat, they hid in a bunker.
38. Through the loopholes, the Syrians begin to throw grenades at them, and when the forces were almost running out, the commander of the Ansbacher detachment, at that time already seriously wounded, asked the soldiers if one of them, who was still able to move, could crawl out out of the bunker and inform the Syrians that all the Israelis hiding underground were killed. Tanker Yitzhak Nagarker volunteered to leave the shelter. The fighter went outside, lied to the Syrians that he was the only one left alive, they did not even begin to check it. After that, the tanker will spend 8 hardest years in captivity with the Syrians.
39. Now on the hill there is a memorial to 32 heroes who fell in the battles on Tel as-Saki.
41. Do not forget that Syria is there, and we are here.
29-04-2014, 19:51
Mountains of Jerusalem
- Mount Herzl
A hill in the western part of Jerusalem, on which the national cemetery of Israel is located. The mountain is named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism. Herzl's grave is at the top of the hill. Israeli soldiers who died in war - from the War of Independence to recent wars - are also buried there. Outstanding figures of world Zionism are also buried in the same cemetery. The height of Mount Herzl is 834 meters above sea level. - Mount of Olives
A hill stretching from north to south against the eastern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem, on the eastern side of the Kidron Valley. From ancient times it was planted with olives, hence the name. - Scopus
It is the northern peak of the Mount of Olives in the northeast of Jerusalem. Height above sea level - 826 meters (2710 feet). As a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Mount Scopus became a UN protected site in Jordanian territory occupied until the Six Day War (1967). Today, Mount Scopus lies within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem. - temple mount
A high-walled, rectangular plaza that dominates the rest of the Old City of Jerusalem. Height - 774 meters above sea level. The height of the stone wall at its highest point is 45 m. The total volume of masonry of the wall is about two hundred thousand cubic meters - a little less than the volume of masonry, for example, the third pyramid (Pyramid of Menkaur) on the Giza plateau.
The mountains
- Avital
A mountain of volcanic origin in the Golan Heights in Israel, not far from the border with. Together with Mount Bental, located to the north of it, it forms a single massif. Height - 1204 meters above sea level. - Bental
Mountain of volcanic origin in the Golan Heights in Israel, near the border with Syria. Together with Mount Avital, located to the south of it, it forms a single massif. highest point Bental Mountains - 1171 m above sea level. The mountain is located west of the Syrian city of Quneitra and south of Kibbutz Merom Golan, which is located at the foot of the mountain. At the foot of the mountain there is a large reservoir built in the 80s of the twentieth century. - Bnei Rasan
Mountain of volcanic origin in the Golan Heights. At the top of the mountain are 10 wind turbines for electricity generation, installed in 1993 and providing electricity to all nearby settlements. The height of each turbine is 30 meters, the wingspan is 18 meters. The weight of the turbine is about 70 tons, the weight of each wing is about 1200 kg, and each generator weighs about 30 tons. - Varda
A mountain of volcanic origin in the Golan Heights, near the border with Syria. - Gilboa
Mountain range in the Jezreel Valley in Israel. The range runs from east to west and is located west of the Jordan River. The name is mentioned in the Old Testament, the Russian version is Gelvuy. The mountain range, 17 kilometers long and 550 meters above sea level, is the most northeastern part of Samaria and the southern border of the Jezreel Valley. Here the borders of the three tribes converged - Issachar, Zebulun and Menashe. - Judean mountains
Mountains 800-900 m above sea level, located in the east of Israel - around Jerusalem to the Judean Desert, which descends to Dead Sea. The name "Mountains of Judah" comes from the tribe of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, which received these lands during the conquest of Canaan by the Jews after leaving. - Carmel
Mountain range in northwestern Israel. In the Russian Bible it is called Mount Carmel. The ridge is bounded from the west mediterranean sea, from the north - the Haifa Bay and the Zvulun Valley. In the south and east, the ridge gradually lowers, turning into hills near the cities of Binyamina in the south and Yokneam in the east (about 25 kilometers in each direction). However, in the east, the hills quickly turn back into mountains surrounding the Jordan Valley. - Megiddo
A hill (tel) in the western part of the Jezreel Valley, in Israel, near the modern settlement of the same name. Known mainly for the Greek word Armageddon, which is a transliteration of the Hebrew phrase har Megiddo. In ancient times, Megiddo was an important city-state. The excavations include 26 cultural layers, which indicates that the settlement existed here for a very long time. Megiddo is located near a strategically important passage through mountain range Carmel. Protected by the state as a national park. - Meron
The most high mountain in Galilee (Israel). Is a part mountain range Meron. Its height is 1208 m above sea level. From it you can clearly see the city of Safed. Most of the mountain is nature reserve. Mount Meron is one of the rainiest parts of the country. In winter, there is almost always snow there, which is rare for Israel. - Perez
Mountain of volcanic origin in the Golan Heights in Israel, near the border with Syria. Since September 1974, Kibbutz Merom Golan has been operating on the slopes of Mount Peres, where light volcanic materials are crushed. The material is further used in industrial construction, for the production of blocks, buildings, roads and gardens, as well as in the production of bedding. - Horns of Hattin
Mountain of volcanic origin in the Lower Galilee, in Israel, about 6 km west of Tiberias. From the crater extinct volcano there were two hills, two peaks, northern and southern. According to ancient Byzantine tradition, Jesus Christ delivered the Sermon on the Mount on this mountain, that is, the Byzantines considered it the Mount of Beatitudes. Following them, the Crusaders thought so, and the Catholic Encyclopedia still insists on this version. Greek Orthodox tradition also considers the slopes of this mountain to be the site of the Sermon on the Mount. At the foot of the Hattin Horns on July 4, 1187, the famous battle of the troops of Salah ad-Din and the army of the crusaders took place, ending in the complete defeat of the latter - the Battle of Hattin. - Zion
Southwestern hill in Jerusalem, on which stood city fortress. The Jewish tradition, beginning with the ancient prophets, compared it with the concept of a milestone, a landmark for return. For the Jews, Zion has become a symbol of Jerusalem and the entire Promised Land, to which the Jewish people have been striving since the dispersion after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 CE. e. - Favor
A detached mountain 588 m high in the eastern part of the Jezreel Valley, in the Lower Galilee, 9 km southeast of Nazareth, in Israel. In Christianity, it is traditionally considered the place of the Transfiguration of the Lord (according to some researchers, Jesus Christ was transfigured to the north, on Mount Hermon. On the top of the mountain there are two active monasteries, Orthodox and Catholic; each of them believes that it was built on the site of the Transfiguration. - Har Karkom
A mountain in the southwest of the Negev Desert in Israel, halfway from Petra to Kadesh-Barnea. Based on the assumption that the sons of Israel, crossing the Sinai Peninsula in the direction of Petra, moved more or less in a straight line, a number of researchers have put forward the hypothesis that Jabal Edeid may be the biblical Mount Sinai. One of the followers of this theory, Emmanuel Anati, excavated on the mountain and discovered here a large cult monument, used from the Upper Paleolithic to the Bronze Age, with numerous altars, cromlechs, menhirs and more than 40,000 rock paintings. - Hermon
Mountain range in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. The highest point of Hermon - 2814 m above sea level - is also the highest point in all of Anti-Lebanon. The length of the massif is about 60 km, the area is about 1000 sq. km. Hermon is included in the drainage basin of the three main sources of the Jordan River - Snir (Khatsbani), Dan and Banias. - Hermonite
Mountain of volcanic origin in the Golan Heights in Israel, near the border with Syria. The highest point of Mount Hermonite is 1211 m above sea level.
