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The
Golan Heights rise from 400 to 1700 feet in the
northeastern section of the country. On
Mount Hermon there is an Israel ski resort. This is the
only place in Israel where there is an annual snowfall
deep enough to ski. The
Golan overlooks the Hula Valley, Israel's richest
agricultural area. The area of the Golan is roughly 38
miles long and varies in width from 9 to 16 miles.
The Banyas River flows through the region and the Yarmuk
River separates the Golan from Jordan.
Aaron
Aaronson, the famous agronomist, (plant scientist), found
wheat on the Golan that allows us to still have wheat
today.
During
the Ottoman Empire (1517-1917), the Golan was considered a
part of the Syrian (Southern) district of their empire. When the British defeated the Turks in
World War I, they dismantled their empire and, with the
French controlled the region. When Syria won its
independence in 1946, it regained control of the Golan
and, within a few years emptied the region of the sparse
population of Bedouin and Druze, and turned it into a
military encampment from which to harass Israel.
After
Israel annexed the Golan, the Druze living in five
villages in the north were given the choice of becoming
citizens. Many accepted the offer, but some chose to be
recognized as "Syrians abroad."
The
Israeli government has made a conscious effort to
encourage Jews to settle in the Golan, but the majority of
the population remains non-Jewish. Several kibbutzim are
located in the region.
If
you follow the main road, Route 98 to the end, past the
fields and orchards of the Jewish farmers, you'll reach
the border. Actually, the borders between Israel and Syria
remain subject for negotiation, so the two countries are
separated by a demilitarized zone patrolled by the U.N.
Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). In that zone is the
deserted city of Kuneitra, which lies in the "Valley
of Tears" where one of the bloodiest battles of
the Yom Kippur War was fought. A great lookout to see the
Heights, and especially the Syrian side of the border, is
from the now abandoned Israeli bunker 4,000 feet (1,200
m.) above sea level on Mount Bental. You can walk
underground and see what life was like for the soldiers
manning the outpost. Another good place to view the Golan
is from the former Syrian fortification at the Golani
Look-Out Post (Mizpe Golani) at Tel Faher.
A
far more scenic and fun place to visit is the Banyas
Springs Nature Reserve. The Banyas is another source of
the Jordan River. The area was first settled around the
3rd century B.C.E. and, during the year 2 B.C.E., became
the capital of a Roman kingdom.
In the
center of the Golan is Katzrin, a government-planned town
where many army officers stationed in the area settled. Katzrin
is the main city
in the Golan. The
town has an interesting museum of regional history. It is
also the site of an ancient synagogue that is particularly
interesting because the entrance faces north rather than
south as in the typical synagogue. Also, nearby is a
winery where you can sample some of the best Israeli
wines.
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About
six miles from Katzrin is another of the fascinating
strongholds of early Jewish history. Gamla became home to
Jewish refugees fleeing the Romans after the revolt broke
out in 66 C.E. |
| The Romans laid siege to the city, whose
defenders heroically held out for some time before being
overcome. Most of the Jews were killed, though many chose
to jump off the cliffs to commit suicide rather than be
captured. Gamla comes from gamal the Hebrew word for
camel, since it was on a hill shaped like a camel's bottom. |
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Hula
Valley was once a marshland. Israel drained it to
eradicate malaria and make room for more people to live
and farm after independence. Wildlife once thrived in the
area, but the ecosystem was seriously harmed by the effort
to make it more habitable. In recent years, Israel has
tried to partially reverse the damage by reflooding a
small part of the region.
Parts of the valley have begun to recover and wildlife is
returning. Even this is a mixed blessing, however, as the
Israeli desire to promote tourism in the area conflicts
with environmentalists' efforts to better protect the
area. For now, the Hula Nature Reserve offers places to
see birds and other animals. You can also go kayaking
nearby in the Jordan River.
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In the
upper Galilee, you'll find a number of interesting towns
and villages. The largest is Kiryat Shmona. The town takes its name, which means
"Town of the Eight," Joseph
Trumpeldor, who, together with seven other
defenders, was killed in a last-ditch battle against Arab
marauders at the nearby settlement of Tel Hai in 1920.
Israel's
northernmost village, at the border of Lebanon and foot of
Mt. Hermon, is Metulla. Just west of the town is the "Good
Fence," a border crossing where some Lebanese are
allowed to enter Israel for work and medical care. The
crossing's name originated in 1976, when a Lebanese child
was allowed to come to Israel for medical treatment.
A little
more than a mile from Kiryat Shmona is Tel Dan,
site of another nature reserve and an important archaeological
dig. The city dates back nearly 4,000 years to the
days of Canaanite rule. As a border town of the kingdom of
Israel along the main trade route between Damascus and the
Galilee, and the Dan River, one of the three main sources
of the Jordan River, Dan was an important strategic
outpost. Consequently, it became a battleground between
Israelite forces and invaders from the north, such as the Assyrians.
Today, the area is a nature reserve filled with poplars,
eucalyptus, oak, pistachio and many other varieties of
trees, ferns and flowers. Nearby Be Ussishkin is a museum
that tells the story of the Hula Valley and the Hermon.
Beautiful
hills and valleys are the landscape of the Golan. |
