29-04-2014, 19:51
Jerusalem mountains
- Mount Herzl
A hill in the western part of Jerusalem that houses the Israel National Cemetery. The mountain is named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism. Herzl's grave is located at the top of the hill. Israeli soldiers who died in the war - from the War of Independence to the last wars - are also buried there. In the same cemetery, prominent figures of world Zionism are buried. 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. Since ancient times it has been planted with olives, hence the name. - Scopus
It is the northern peak of the Mount of Olives in the north-east 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 prior to the Six Day War (1967). Today Mount Scopus lies within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem. - Temple Mount
A high-walled rectangular square that dominates the rest of the Old City of Jerusalem. Height - 774 meters above sea level. Height stone wall at the highest point 45 m. The total volume of the masonry of the wall is about two hundred thousand cubic meters - slightly less than the volume of the masonry, for example, the third pyramid (Menkaur pyramid) on the Giza plateau.
The mountains
- Avital
Mountain of volcanic origin in the Golan Heights in Israel, near the border with. Together with Mount Benthal, located to the north of it, it forms a single massif. Height - 1204 meters above sea level. - Benthal
A volcanic mountain 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. The highest point of Mount Benthal is 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 XX 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... Each turbine is 30 meters high and has a wingspan of 18 meters. The turbine weighs about 70 tons, each wing weighs about 1200 kg, and each generator weighs about 30 tons. - Warda
A volcanic mountain in the Golan Heights, near the border with Syria. - Gilboa
Mountain range in the Jezreel Valley in Israel. The ridge stretches from east to west and is located west of the Jordan River. The name is mentioned in the Old Testament, the Russian version is Gelvui. The mountain range is 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 three tribes converged - Issachar, Zvulun 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 the Dead Sea. The name "Mountains of Judea" comes from the tribe of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, who received these lands when the Jews conquered the land of Canaan after leaving. - Carmel
Mountain range in the northwest of Israel. In the Russian Bible, it is called Mount Carmel. From the west, the ridge is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, from the north - by the Gulf of Haifa and the Zvulun valley. In the south and east, the ridge gradually decreases, turning into hills in the area of the cities of Binyamin in the south and Yokneam in the east (about 25 kilometers in each direction). However, in the east, the hills are quickly turning 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. Excavations include 26 cultural layers, which means that the settlement has existed here for a very long time. Megiddo is located near the strategically important passage through the Carmel mountain range. Protected by the state as 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, which is rare in Israel. - Perez
A volcanic mountain in the Golan Heights in Israel, near the border with Syria. Since September 1974, the Kibbutz Merom Golan plant has been operating on the slopes of Mount Perez, 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
A volcanic mountain in the Lower Galilee, Israel, about 6 km west of Tiberias. From the crater extinct volcano there were two hills, two peaks, north and south. According to the ancient Byzantine tradition, on this mountain Jesus Christ delivered the Sermon on the Mount, that is, the Byzantines considered it a mountain of Beatitudes. Following them, the crusaders also 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 Khattin Horns, on July 4, 1187, the famous battle between the troops of Salah ad-Din and the army of the crusaders took place, which ended in the complete defeat of the latter - the Battle of Khattin. - Zion
The southwestern hill in Jerusalem, on which the city fortress stood. Jewish tradition, starting with the ancient prophets, compared it with the concept of a milestone, a reference point for return. For the Jews, Zion has become a symbol of Jerusalem and the entire Promised Land, which the Jewish people have longed for since the time of their dispersion following the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. e. - Favor
Separately standing mountain height 588 m 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 transformed to the north, on Mount Hermon. At 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 children of Israel crossing Sinai peninsula in the direction of Petra, moving more or less in a straight line, a number of researchers put forward a hypothesis that Jabal-Ideid, possibly, is the biblical Mount Sinai. One of the followers of this theory, Emmanuel Anati, carried out excavations 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 mountain range Antilevan. The highest point in Hermon - 2814 m above sea level - is also the highest point in the whole of Anti-Lebanon. The length of the massif is about 60 km, the area is about 1000 sq. Km .. Hermon is included in the catchment basin of the three main sources of the Jordan River - Snir (Khatsbani), Dan and Banias. - Hermonite
A volcanic mountain in the Golan Heights in Israel, near the border with Syria. The highest point of Mount Hermonit is 1211 m above sea level.
At the very border with Syria, there is an ancient volcano that has long gone extinct, but left Mount Bental. It is located in the northwestern part of the famous "Golan Heights".
A tour guide in Israel will tell you that military operations took place here in 1973, Mount Bental (1170 m height) was the main strategic point. In the Yom Kopur Syrian-Israeli War, there were heavy fighting in the area between Mount Hermon and Benthal.
Between Hell and Paradise in Jerusalem.
That is why the plot of land is called "Valley of Tears".
On the Syrian side, there were 1,500 tanks and 1,000 artillery pieces. Israel could only oppose 160 tanks and 60 guns. The Israelis held out heroically, and even captured most of the enemy's guns.
Private Guided Tour of the Modern Valley
Now the valley is visited by thousands of tourists, you can book an excursion with a private guide in Israel, who will answer all your questions. Here, the border with Syria is also clearly visible from above. The plots owned by 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 ”is perfectly visible, which was created after the war in 1967. There is an excellent view of Mount Hermon (3000 m by the sea), Damascus is visible in the east (60 km), on the other the sides are Druze villages.
Tours in Israel often include a visit to Mount Bental. A museum of the war years is open here, a Syrian dugout made of stones has been preserved. The most fortified section of the Golan Heights can be seen at 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.
The 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 shape of monsters.
The excursion ends with a descent from the mountain to the mouth of the Jordan.
Holidays at Mount Benthal
You can relax by Mount Benthal in the Anan cafe, where there is excellent cuisine, as well as a wonderful panoramic view of Syria and the heights. V winter time there is often snow here, clouds are almost constantly hanging (“aniam” in Hebrew). Clouds stop the mountain peaks.
Near the settlement "Marom Golan", where the restaurant "Ha-Bokrim" is famous. For those wishing to spend a few days here, excellent "guest houses" ("zimers") are rented. Many of them are made of wood, beautiful on the outside, and on the inside there are large comfortable beds and a Jacuzzi.
Excursion tours in Israel are mostly focused on other places and attractions. Few people know about Mount Benthal, but no one regretted that they decided to come here.
Guide to Israel - Ekaterina Khmeleva
Hinnom, Hinnom's valley, Valley of the sons of Hinnom(Nav. XV, 8, IV Kings XXIII, 10, Jer. II, 23, etc.) - it was a deep and narrow ravine with steep banks to the south. from. side of Jerusalem; the name given to the valley is believed to be (Stanley) from the ancient hero, the son of Ennomov who had his possessions here. At the bottom of the valley there is a small stream that flows into the Kidron stream. Here, in the time of Solomon, heights were erected and the temples of Astarte, Hamos and Moloch were built (III Kings XI, 7, IV Kings XXIII, 13). Ahaz and Manasseh made incense here for idols, and the first led his sons through the fire (IV Kings XVI, 3, II Chronicles XXVIII, 3). The vile custom of sacrificing children to Moloch in Tophet in the south-east.
Valley of Hinnom
the designated valley persisted for a long time. Subsequently, c. Josiah, destroying idolatry, defiled this place (IV Kings XXIII, 10, 12, 14), forcing to throw human bones at it; and from that time on, the valley of Ennom became, apparently, a dumping ground for all kinds of sewage taken out of the city, the corpses of executed criminals, dead animals, etc. the fire. Therefore, over time, it became terrible and disgusting for Israel, and they began to call it hell, fire hell, using this word to depict the eternal torment of sinners after death (Matthew V, 22). According to some rabbis, the valley of Hinnom should serve as a gateway to hell. Now the Arabs call it: Wadi Jegennam or Wadi Rubeb... Olive and other fruit trees grow at the bottom of the Yennom Valley, and its sides contain many burial caves. According to legend, Akeldam was located at the eastern end of the valley (see Akeldam). During crusades here they also indicated the tree on which Judas hanged himself. Nowhere in the vicinity of Jerusalem are the burial caves more well preserved than in the valley of Hinnom; most of them are very ancient and represent small gloomy caves with narrow entrances carved into the cliff. Therefore, now 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 slaughter, Jeremiah once prophesied(XIX, 6). Indeed, says one of newest travelers wherever you turn your gaze in this place, it stops everywhere on tombs and burial caves; many of them are dilapidated, others are completely destroyed and crushed, like the people themselves, who once desecrated this place ... 3 here is the eternal, so to speak, memento mori ... (Pierotti).
◄ Ennathan
Israel
in photos
Jerusalem ancient sacred city, the capital of Israel. Located on the watershed between the Mediterranean and the Dead Seas.
The Temple Mount is a high-walled square that dominates the Old City of Jerusalem. The height of the wall at the highest point is 45 meters. Excavations are now continuing inside the Temple Mount. It was here that the Knights Templar was founded.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque (Masjid Al-Aqsa) is located on the Temple Mount of Jerusalem, which is the third shrine of Islam.
The Dome of the Rock is located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. An Islamic sanctuary over 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, stands on the spot where, according to the Holy Scriptures, Jesus Christ was crucified, buried, and then resurrected. The ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire is held annually in the temple.
Church of the Holy Sepulcher
The Western Wall, 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 the 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 the color and shape of the building is not accidental - it symbolizes the lifelong struggle of light and darkness, good and evil, Truth and Lies.
Sunset over the valley (desert) of Arava (Araba), located in Israel and Jordan, south of the Dead Sea. View from Israel towards Jordan.
Surf in the Dead Sea and salt deposits on the rocks. One of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth, drainless.
The Israeli coast of the Gulf of Aqaba in the north of the Red Sea.
A small portion of the coastline at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba belongs to Israel. Tourists are attracted by clear water and rich underwater world... Therefore, diving is popular here.
The Israeli port of Eilat is located in the northern part of the Gulf of Aqaba. Therefore, the name of the Gulf of Eilat is still common in Israel. On the shore of the bay is located ancient city Eilat, which existed during the time of King Solomon.
Tours in Israel: Mount Bental
The photo shows the northern beach of the city.
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.
Crater cliff Ramon.
The Judean Desert is located in Israel, on west coast Dead Sea.
According to religious sources, on the north-western 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 for 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 eastern Israel around Jerusalem to the Judean Desert, which descends to the Dead Sea. There are many churches and monasteries in the Judean Mountains.
Under Jerusalem in Ein-Karem is the Gorny Monastery or Gorny. In the distance is the Church of All Saints Who Shone in the Land of Russia, in the vicinity is the Catholic Church of the Visitation.
The desolate hills of southern Judea (a vast historical region of the Land of Israel south of Samaria) near Arad.
Lake Hula is located in the north of 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 stopping and resting points for migratory birds. Some birds (for example, cranes) stay overwintering in the valley.
Lake Tiberias or the Sea of Galilee - freshwater lake in the north-east of Israel. In ancient and modern Israel, the name of the lake is "Kinneret" and is explained by the external shape of the lake, reminiscent of a harp. In the Old Testament, the lake is referred to as the "Kinneref Sea" or "Hinneref Sea".
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 Jews. Today the city is one of the tourist destinations.
View of Tiberias, Israel.
Tiberias harbor. Israel.
Yardenit is a complex of buildings and structures on the Jordan River, located in the north of Israel, a few kilometers south of the city of Tiberias, where the Jordan River flows from the Kinneret, and was built in 1981. A symbolic ceremony of baptism of the believers of the Greek Orthodox Church and Catholics takes place here.
To the 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 a modern Catholic church, built over the place where the house of the Apostle Peter stood.
Most famous historical site in Hebron - the Cave of Machpela (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 Makhpela Cave is the Orthodox Russian Monastery of the Holy Trinity or the Compound in honor of the Holy Forefathers. Hebron, Israel.
On the territory of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity there is the Mamre oak, under which, according to legend, Abraham received three angels who appeared to him. This evergreen Palestinian oak tree is believed to be about 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 site of the Transfiguration of the Lord. But there is a version that Jesus Christ was transformed to the north on Mount Hermon. At the top of Mount Tabor there are two active monasteries (Orthodox and Catholic).
Samaria is a historical region of Israel, the name of which comes from the name of the city of Samaria, in the north Samaria borders the Jezreel Valley, in the south - with the Judean Mountains.
The Mount of Olives, or the Mount of Olives, is a hill stretching 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 the Mount of Olives.
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. Located on the top of one of the mountains of the Upper Galilee, from the height of which amazing beautiful view: in the southeast is Lake Tiberias, in the west is the Mediterranean Sea and in the north is the snow-covered peak Hermon.
Tel Aviv-Jaffa (Tel Aviv) is the second most populous city in Israel, located on the 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 city's attractions.
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 has retained its identity. The population here is unusual - artists, musicians, sculptors and other people of creative specialties. The photo shows the artists' quarter in Jaffa.
Port of Jaffa city.
A panoramic photo of the city of Haifa, Israel's third largest city, lies on the slopes of Mount Carmel (mountain range).
Temple Baba - the main temple of the Bahá'í religion, located in the city of Haifa. The surrounding area is surrounded by stunning gardens, which are also a World Heritage Site.
The symbol of the Carmel region, named after the mountain of the same name, in the city of Haifa is shopping center"Panorama". There are two towers on it: the Dan Panorama hotel is located in the left tower, and a residential building in the right. Next to the building is the Gan-a-Em park.
The port in the city of Ashdod is the fifth most populous 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 shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The photo shows the old city, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. On the right is the clock tower of the Al-Umdan inn, on the horizon is Mount Carmel.
Nazareth is a holy Christian city in the north of Israel, the third in importance 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.
The archaeological site and the Sepphoris National Park (Tsipori) are located 6 km north-west of Nazareth. On the territory of the park there are archaeological sites, such as: the ancient Jewish city of Tsippori, the parental home of the Virgin Mary, the remains of the Crusader fortress and many others. Also one of the attractions of Zippori is the preserved mosaic.
Wadi in the Negev Desert, Israel.
After three posts about the Old City of Jerusalem, we will go outside the city walls and walk through the area to the east. We will go down from the Temple Mount to the Kidron Valley, and then we will climb the Mount of Olives or Olive or Olive Mountain and look at the holy places from the height of the opposite hill. You can get there in three ways, either leave the eastern Lion Gate of the city at the very beginning of Via Doloroa, or skirting the Old City from the north or from the south, from the side of Zion, along the city wall. We did not walk from the north, but walked through the gate and from the direction of 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 walk not along a busy road, but along a 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 slope of the mountain with excellent views of the Mount of Olives and an ancient Muslim cemetery. There is no descent down, therefore, for the further walk, you will still need to reach the Lion Gate and get there to a fork in the road.
3-4. The Arab cemetery is littered and half-abandoned, although some gravestones speak of those buried here 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 idea that the Messiah would enter through the Golden Gate led to ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ordered the gate to be bricked up in 1541. In addition, in front of the gates, the Muslims placed a cemetery, which in Judaism is considered an unclean place. And in order to absolutely surely prevent the passage of undesirable characters, the Sultan ordered the burial of Ottoman soldiers under the Golden Gate, so that, with general reincarnation, they would also rise up and would not let the revived inhabitants of Jewish cemeteries on that slope to the Temple Mount. For almost half a millennium, some dead have been guarding others. This is Jerusalem, here the symbolism in the interweaving of religions is off scale.
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 many military and police, just behind the Lion's Gate there is a police post that checks cars with Arabic numbers. And I took a picture with one of the fighters.
7. Passing the Lion's Gate, why the Lion's - look at the decorations on the sides of the arch. For some reason, on the map of the city, they are called St. Stephen's gates, although nowhere in Jerusalem are they called that. Through them, according to Christian tradition, Jesus entered Jerusalem before his execution.
8. If you go back a little and take a look from under the city walls, then the main reference point 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 stairs down 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 Serb priest who speaks Russian well, and for some reason mistook me for a Pole. And the Arab doorkeeper just broke 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 is the Greek monastery of St. Stephen, founded on the site of the alleged murder of the first Christian martyr stoned in Jerusalem by the Sanhedrin. That is, in the guidebooks it is listed as a church, but on the building itself it is indicated that it 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 was built on the rock where, according to legend, Jesus Christ prayed on the last night before his arrest. It was built on 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 put what in the church.
16-18. Nearby - the Garden of Gethsemane itself, 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 carry this place up the slope, and to the left and to the right. However, some of the olives in the garden are very old.
19. One of the trees was planted by Pope Paul VI in 1964. For half a century, the tree grows like this:
20-21. It is dark inside the church, only sunlight penetrates through the windows. According to legend, on this rock, Jesus Christ performed the Prayer for the cup, the very one about which E.L. Webber composed the immortal aria "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)" :)
22. On the side of the church, slightly higher up the slope - the remains of a Byzantine basilica discovered during construction.
23. We leave the church. We have two paths - up the slope by observation deck and below, 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 with Orthodox gravestone crosses above it. The photograph 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 the Olives, and all because in the Jewish tradition, upon the coming of the Messiah, the resurrection of the dead will begin right here, on this slope. And here they have been buried since the period of the First Temple. Later in Vicki I saw a figure of 150 thousand graves.
26-27. After the first Arab-Israeli war, the Jordanians used stones from graves in construction, including the destruction of graves in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. After the Six Day War, east Jerusalem was conquered and tombstones began to be restored. Now everything is quite well-groomed there, signs prohibit being in the cemetery without permission. But below in the Kidron Valley, the rains are washing human bones out of the ground.
28-29. And from here are wonderful views of the Temple Mount and the Old City.
30-31. But these tens of thousands of gravestones are even more impressive when you look at them from under the walls at the Temple Mount.
32. Do you see the old tombs down in the valley? - this will be the last point of our journey, we go down to Kidron. Perhaps once a river flowed here - but now this one is just a place for a walk with signs opposite the tombs and with a path between the lawns. Further, the Arab quarters of East Jerusalem begin, we did not go there.
33. Closest to the road is the pagoda-like tomb of Absalom, the rebellious son of King David according to the Jewish tradition, so that for centuries passers-by, according to custom, threw a stone into the tomb, regardless of their faith. They also brought disobedient children here to teach.
34-36. Although modern views on the tomb date it no older than the Seleucid period, or even even the first century AD, built for Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great. This is indicated by a composite hodgepodge of Greek elements, Doric frieze and Ionic columns. The entrance is naturally closed, but there is a small cell with empty graves.
37. Nearby - the family tomb of the Khezirs, a priestly dynasty, erected somewhere in the 2nd century BC, again with Hellenistic influence in design.
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, the character of the Tanakh. Again, this is a tomb hewed entirely of stone, with a burial chamber at the base, with Ionic columns and quite an Egyptian pyramid at the top. And not earlier than the 2nd century BC.
In the process of compiling this record, not being a historian or an expert in military affairs, it came to me to reread more than one source of materials.
First, it is strange, but many well-known travel bloggers make elementary mistakes in the names of names. military equipment without bothering to double-check the readily available information.
Secondly, the data on the offensive force of the enemy differ significantly. I'm 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 unsafe 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 need to climb. dangerous places there are warning signs, signs and inscriptions everywhere.
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 a guide or 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 it is much more dangerous among people. I was completely alone here and I 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 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 June 5 to 10, 1967. At the same time, the UN Security Council declared the annexation invalid. Israel and Syria now consider the Golan Heights to be 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 by the troops of Syria and Egypt.
2. As we move towards the Golan Heights, nothing reminds or speaks of any military actions 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 highways and only the last few tens of kilometers go along mountain roads.
3. Stopped in one "pocket", here the sign "SEA LEVEL" is installed - we are at sea level. From here, a view of Lake Kinneret opens up - 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 moving into the Tel al-Saki valley, a narrow and very steep mountain road goes directly close to the Jordanian border. After the ascent, in the distance, here and there, from time to time, the most high point in Israel - Mount Hermon.
5. It is now open there 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 with the fact 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 very next day the Arab League declares war on Israel. Seven Arab states at once (Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Transjordan) attack new country, thus starting the first Arab-Israeli war, called the "War of Independence" in Israel.
7. Later, on July 20, 1949, as a result of the war between Israel and Syria, the Armistice Agreement is concluded. At the end of the war, in order to shell the Jewish settlements of the Upper Galilee and the area of Lake Kinneret, the Syrians cover the Golan with a network of artillery positions and fortifications.
8. On June 9-10, 1967, during the Six Day War, Israeli forces 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, it comes on October 6, 1973, when, during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, a surprise attack by Egyptian and Syrian troops begins on the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan. By the start of the war, only 180 Israeli tanks are facing off against roughly 540 Syrian and Moroccan tanks.
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 the reservists. The arriving troops were able to slow down and, starting from the second day of the war, to stop the Syrian offensive. On the fifth day, the last Syrian combat unit is driven out of the pre-war ceasefire line.
11. As a result of the battle of the Golan, the Syrians were unable to break through the Israeli defenses and retreat. Syria lost at least 500 tanks and other armored vehicles in battle. Israel lost up to 80 tanks and armored vehicles. The loss of life for Jews is about 3000 people.
12. In our time, preserved here a large number of old Syrian minefields. Most of of them is fenced and marked with warning signs, but they are not neutralized. As a result, natural nature has been preserved on a large territory and there are places where, since 1967, no human has actually set foot.
13. The Israeli authorities in memory of those bloody days left many pieces of various military equipment in the Golan.
18. Padded Syrian armored personnel carrier armed forces BTR-152, built on the basis of the Soviet ZIS-151.
27. Artillery - Soviet 122mm D-30 howitzer.
28. Fortifications in the Valley of Tears.
32. Half-track armored personnel carrier M3.
34. Another "Centurion".
35. A Soviet-made Syrian tank T-62 in a spotted livery.
36. Fortifications of the hill in the heroic place of Tel-as-Saki.
37. A real war drama broke out here, when several dozen soldiers first withstood heavy enemy fire, and then, realizing that there was no way to retreat, they hid in a bunker.
38. The Syrians begin to throw grenades at them through the loopholes, and when the forces were almost running out, the commander of the Ansbacher detachment, already seriously wounded at that time, 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 check it. After that, the tanker will spend 8 difficult years in captivity by the Syrians.
39. Now on the hill there is a memorial to 32 heroes who fell in the battles of Tel al-Saki.
41. Do not forget that Syria is there, and we are here.
In the Israel Valley
To have an idea of what the Zionists have done in Palestine, one must look at Emek. Emek in Hebrew means valley. When they say "Emek" without an adjective, everyone understands that this is the Ezdrelon Valley, the Valley of Israel, the beauty and pride of the Zionist experience. Here travelers are told:
Don't you dare leave Palestine without looking at 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 Gulf of Haif, then goes in a wide strip in the east, below Nazareth, and on the eastern side of Palestine it merges with the Jordan Basin. 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 among the deserts; a huge Jewish economy, a place where so much Jewish work and money was 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 power station and the famous cement plant, famous for being the largest factory in Palestine. Chimneys were smoking over the factory. To the left stretched the hills of Carmel, the mountains of the prophet Elijah and Baal, the abode of gazelles and pagan gods, the mountain 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 Ezdrelon Valley are already opening: between the bluish Galilean hills and the lilac mountains of Samaria. The ancient river Kishon flows below the bridge, the very river on which the nine hundred iron chariots of Canaan perished for the glory of Israel. Far away on the hills are the German colonies, Waldheim and Galilee Bethlehem, and, here we are in Emek, spreading our arable lands, fields and gardens for tens of kilometers.
Even before the war, the National Trust (Keren Kayemet) began to acquire land from the Arabs here and founded the first Jewish colony. After the war, Keren Hayesod (Reconstruction Fund) took over the care of the settlers in the newly acquired lands, and now there are over twenty-five colonies in the valley. They are organized on various principles, from private farms on plots hereditarily rented from Keren Kayemet, to the communist colonies, the so-called "quutsa", which resemble Russian collective farms, but compare favorably with the latter in that they were created voluntarily, without any there was coercion, due to idealistic impulses, to apply new forms of labor in Palestine, while in settlements of a different kind, in "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 linked 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 marshes. A lot of work was required to be invested in this business. About 70 years ago, the Germans and Arabs tried to do the same, they left more than a dozen people mowed down by malaria in a nearby cemetery, but they could not cope with the difficult task. The Jews were more fortunate. Huge funds were required for the drying of the stinking swamps, which were filled with water from the neighboring heights. In 1921, Jews laid 18 kilometers of concrete drainage pipes, ranging from 20 to 50 sant. in diameter, and coped with the smelly and malarial nature of the swamps. The water was taken to the river. Kishon. Now mountain springs feed the village healthy drinking water and irrigate the fields and “pardes.” The necessary funds were provided by the Zionist organizations.
The village of Nahalal is located in an ellipsis. The center houses public buildings, a cooperative, sheds with cars, a post office, a school, a dairy farm and straw warehouses. Ellipsis is formed by the houses of the colonists, from the houses and outbuildings they diverge in sectors of fields, vegetable gardens and orchards. There are a hundred households in the village. Each has 12 dunams (dunams - a tenth of a hectare) of arable land. They are engaged here, as elsewhere in Emek, agriculture, gardening, chicken farming and dairy farming.
It was interesting to take a closer look at a new type of Jew - the Farmer Jew. The same tanned faces as those of peasants all over the world, the same peasant wrinkles, calloused hands, the ability to handle an ax or a shovel. A whole chasm lies between this measure of arable land, fragrant straw and lush greenery of gardens and some Polish or Belarusian Jewish town. Here, in the full sense of the word, the rebirth 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 there is still that creative excitement that inspires the hard work of the peasants when it is not under the stick. not for the sake of one daily bread, but according to the voice of duty and vocation.
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 settlers' houses are of the same type, without roofs, in several rooms, with terraces, with a shower, which is so necessary for a farmer in summer time... Near the house there is a garden with flowers and several fruit trees, pomegranate or apple and pear trees. There are outbuildings behind the house. In the cemented barn, we saw beautiful cows, a cross between Syrian and Dutch breeds, multi-milk, easily tolerating the local climate. We have seen hundreds of snow-white American Leghorns, where they are raised 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 the industrial economy they do not see ordinary land in which you can look for anything you want with a round eye - both grain and a grain of sand, there are sacks of crushed shells near the chicken coop. They are mixed into chicken food.
In a special room there are incubators, sort of strong lacquered boxes upholstered with copper, with heating pads and all sorts of gadgets, and against the wall there is a gray melancholic mule, the housekeeper. Further, there are irrigated vegetable gardens, "pardes" and vines. Hive houses stand in rows behind those trees for which there is no firmly established name in Russian, and which in English are called "grape-fruits." And there are already fields of harvested wheat and wide the landscape of Emek with the hills on the horizon, with a cloud of smoke from burning grasses rising to the sky in a pillar, reminiscent of this peaceful agricultural smoke, of the biblical battles that were fought with the Philistines and Amalekites on the local fields in the days of King Saul and Gideon. battles, when the burning Israeli villages were smoking, Saul perished, throwing himself on his own sword, and with him fell his sons, squires and men.
At noon, the whole family gathers to the table. A daughter, sunburned in the vineyards, comes in a wide-brimmed straw hat, takes a shower, exchanges comfortable "shorts" for an ordinary woman's dress. Her husband and children come from the chicken coops, of whom there are fifty people in the village. On the table are vegetables, chicken, eggs, and next to the plate is the last book of Prof. Klyauzner: "Jesus of Nazareth", in Hebrew, which should be read from right to left and flipped from left to right.
Overall impression: a healthy and intelligent life, and around this life - the smell of straw, milk and dung, cock crows, the cries of donkeys, evening conversations after dinner on biblical topics, when the white moon rises over the Galilean hills, and Jewish girls laugh in the 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 Jewish woman who had recently written in Berlin newspapers, who had not yet had time to sunbathe under the Palestinian sun, showed us exemplary chicken coops and barnyards. Poor chickens! They are only factories here to produce a certain number of eggs per year. In a stone barn, forty black cows, clinking with chains, chewed their food 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 with warm cow sighs. I wanted to come 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 declared that the entrance to the barn was forbidden for strangers. Here, the health of cows is protected more than the health of people. A visitor can bring germs 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 you need in your daily life, from tea utensils to stationery. Indeed, there are 600 people in the colony, a school and a kindergarten, a library where everything published in the Hebrew language is collected. Life is in full swing. Under the shed shed stands a "combine" - a terrible structure made of wheels and pipes that mows the wheat, threshes it, knits straw and throws out bags of ready-made grain ... In the dairy, where milk is assessed not only by the quantity, but also by the content of liters The heavy cans are ready to sink onto the rock and head to the warehouses of Tnuwa, a cooperative agricultural purchasing organization that supplies dairy and eggs throughout Palestine.
But dusk in the east falls almost instantly. And then the other side of the life of the Jewish colony was revealed to me. Some of the colonists, who were in turn, put on their jackets - Palestinian nights are chilly - and went to sleep at 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. Electric lights lit in the darkness around them in the neighboring colonies. On the water tower in the middle of the village, a warning light began to flash - the colony was talking in Morse code with neighbors to ask how things were, to provide assistance in case of need, 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 instilled fear in the Arabs?
And in the morning on the road again, again spinning in the car along the bumpy country roads of Emek, past the colony, past the young forest of Balfuria, get out onto the Tiberias highway. It's good that you can't see either railroad nor this notorious oil pipeline, which crosses the entire Ezdrelon Valley, and only the hills on the horizon are visible, and above them are round clouds, and on the sides of the rural road fields, stubble on which sheep graze, again hills, again round, white clouds over the hills and somewhere below them is the small village of Sulim, ancient Shulem, where the house of Sulamith stood in the middle of the vineyard, who came out early in the morning to see if the flowers of the pomegranate trees had blossomed.
Notes (edit)
The Jezreel Valley (Megiddo Valley) is a valley in the Lower Galilee. It stretches from Mount Carmel in the west to Jordan in the east, its length is about 40 km, the maximum width - between Mount Kdumim and the Dotan valley - is over 20 km, the second largest (367 km²) after the Jordanian inner valley of Israel. Separating the mountains of Galilee from the mountains of Samaria, it forms a kind of cleft 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. The port of Kishon is located near its mouth. Named after the Israeli city of Jezreel (literally "sows / sows / God"), which was in ancient times in the center of the valley. Based on materials from Wikipedia.
Canaan (Hebrew כְּנַעַן, Arabic کنعان) is the western part of the Fertile Crescent. The word "Canaan" (Canaan) comes from a Semitic root meaning "to bend downward"; this name in biblical times was borne by a country extending west of the Jordan. It is currently divided between Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. Based on materials from Wikipedia.
Dunam (from Turkish dönüm) is a unit of area used to measure area land plots in countries that were in the past under the rule of the Ottoman Empire: Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Northern Cyprus, Libya, as well as in the countries of the former Yugoslavia.
The metric dunam now used in Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey is:
1000 m²
0.001 square kilometers
0.2471 acres
1196 square yards
10760 sq. Ft.
in North Cyprus 1 donum = 4 evlek = 14400 square feet = 1337.8 m²
Based on materials from Wikipedia.
Philistines (Hebrew פלישתים, plishtim - invading) - ancient people, inhabiting the coastal part of Palestine (from modern Tel Aviv to Gaza). It is mentioned several times in the Old Testament (starting from Gen. 10:13), as well as in the Assyrian and Egyptian ones. Based on materials from 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 Omaya and Amu. According to the Pentateuch, the Amalekites are the enemies of the Jewish people. According to the concept of Judaism, the offspring of Amalek exist as long as the offspring of Israel exists. The Almighty allows the descendants of Amalek to exist so that Israel does not go astray. As soon as Israel changes its true path, that is, it sins, then Amalek's offspring immediately strengthens, that is, Amalek's descendants rule, terrorizing Israel. Amalek's offspring are weakened only when Israel returns to the righteous path. In ancient Persia, Aman, a descendant of Amalek, was a 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. Based on materials from 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 domicile was in the Giv'm'e, which he made his capital. Based on materials from Wikipedia.
Gedeon is one of the most famous judges of Israel, a native of Ofra. Taking advantage of the moral decline and political fragmentation of the Jews, the Midianites and other "sons of the East" undertook invasions against them from year to year, poisoning the sown fields, stealing cattle and plundering every property. "And Israel was greatly impoverished." The oppression lasted seven years, and only when the people despaired of their deliverance, Gideon appeared, “a brave warrior,” as his name suggests. His two older brothers died fighting the enemies of Israel. Having received the supreme calling for the deliverance of the people, Gideon, with a small detachment, made a successful night attack on the Midianites; in terror and the commotion of the night, they cut each other and fled in disorder across 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 gave up this power, which he saw as a violation of 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 Jerobaal, that is, "the adversary to Baal," because he destroyed the altar set up in honor of this pagan deity. The story of Gideon is set forth in the Court. 6-7. Based on materials from Wikipedia.
Shulamith, 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 the Shulamite is found in the text of the Bible only in one place (Cantos 7: 1). Most often, the name of the Shulamites is considered a derivative of the toponym Sunem (Sunam), in particular, there are hypotheses identifying the Shulamite and Avisagu Sunamite. The swarthy skin of the bride (Song 1: 4) allows some commentators to assume that the Sulamite is the Queen of Sheba or the daughter of Pharaoh, one of Solomon's wives. The group of "folklore hypotheses", who consider the Song of Songs a collection of wedding hymns, suggest that the name of the Shulamite is a derivative of the name of Solomon (Hebrew שְׁלמה, Shlomo) and in fact means the solemn naming of the bride during the wedding ceremony, as Solomon is just symbolic naming the groom. Based on materials from Wikipedia.
