Upper Galilee: the sources of the Jordan River, archaeological parks – Tel Dan, Banias, Golan

Overview

Galilee (Hebrew הַגָּלִיל, һа-Galil, “region, district, district”, Arab al-Jalil) is a historical region in the north of Israel, on the border with Lebanon. Limited to the Mediterranean Sea to the west, the Jezreel Valley to the south and the Jordan Valley to the east. Traditionally it is divided into Upper and Lower Galilee.

Repeatedly mentioned in the Bible and includes many holy places, as well as archaeological parks and cultural attractions. 20 cities of Galilee, King Solomon gave the Tyrian (Lebanese) Prince Hiram (1 Kings 9:11).

Pagan Galilee is mentioned in the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 9: 2). By the time of Jesus Christ, the Galileans had an adverb from the inhabitants of Judea (Mark 14:70). Most of the apostles were Galileans (Acts 1:11). The main Galilean cities were Bethsaida (the birthplace of the Apostle Andrew, Peter and Philip – John 1:44), Canal of Galilee (Nathanael’s birthplace – John 21: 2), and Nazareth (the birthplace of Jesus Christ – Matthew 2:23; :eleven). The Jews of Jesus Christ worshiped the Galilean (Matthew 26:69, John 7:41). According to Matthew, after the resurrection, both the angel and Jesus, sent the apostles to Galilee (Matthew 28: 7-16). In the era of the apostle Paul, there were churches in Galilee (Acts 9:31).

Tel Dan is a natural and archaeological reserve in the territory of approximately 50 hectares of land. It is located along highway 99 (Kiryat Shmona – Masaada), about 11 km from the intersection of HaMetsudot, not far from kibbutz Dan. The Dan River is one of the few water streams in Israel that the sewerage system has not discharged, so the water in it was not contaminated with waste. Dan is considered the main tributary of the Jordan River. The water flow is about 250 million m³ per year, the length of the river is about eight kilometers. Dan has two main sources; The largest of these is the Ein Dan source. It originates from the melting snow of Mount Hermon, so the water in Ein-Dan, as in Dana itself, is relatively cold year-round (about 13 degrees). The borders of the reserve cover about 48 hectares of the basin of this river. Archaeological excavations began in 1966 and continued until 2000. During the excavations, the remains of the Canaan city of Laish were found. At the top of the hill is the reconstruction of the city gates. They are in the western part of the archaeological reserve. This monument was created 3700 years ago (the middle Bronze Age), discovered by archaeologists in 1978, and was completely opened in 1980. The Canaanite Gate consists of three arches. Here, during excavations, a basalt tablet of the 9th century BC was found. e. (Stela from Tel-Dan) with text on it. This text is perhaps the only mention of King David, besides the lines of the Bible. Dan (Hebrew דָּן) is a Jewish biblical city; originally was under the rule of the Phoenician city of Sidon and was called Laish. Jews from the tribe of Dan seized the city and called it Dan (Judgment 18:29). In the Bible, the city was described as the extreme north of the Land of Israel (Judgment 20: 1). After the collapse of the kingdom of Israel, the first king of the Northern Israel kingdom, Jeroboam, in the city was installed idol of the golden calf.

Banias or Hermon (Hebrew נחל חרמון) is a river in Israel.

It starts with the fusion of two rivers near the ancient city of Banias, flows through the Golan Heights and merges with the Liddani River, then the stream flows from the right into the Karuni Creek, and merges with El Hasbani, forms the Jordan.

The name “Banias” comes from the Arabized form of the name of the Greek god Pan. According to local legends, Pan lived in a cave, from which flows a river. At the same source were temples dedicated to God and his goats, and stood the city of Banias, known in Roman times as Caesarea Filippi. The catchment area of ​​the river is about 150 km2; annual flow – about 125 million m³. There are many rapids and waterfalls on the river, the height of the biggest waterfall is 10 m. The National Natural and Archaeological Park of Banias includes the ruins of the ancient city of the Hellenistic period and the Byzantine monastery.

The Golan Heights represent a mountain plateau of volcanic origin, extending east of Tiberias Lake (Hebrew ים כנרת – Lake Kinneret) and the Hula Valley, and further, deep into Syria. Most of it is at an altitude of more than 1000 meters above sea level. The area occupied by Israel in the Golan Heights is about 1150 km ² with a length of 60 km and an average width of 25 km.

In the west, the plateau abruptly cuts to the side of Lake Tiberias, in the south and south-east it is bounded by the deep and narrow gorge of the Yarmuk River. In the east there are no clear natural boundaries. Most of the Golan plateau is in Syria.

The highest point on the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights is Mount Hermon, which is 2236 meters high.

The excursion begins at the place of accommodation of the tourists in Jerusalem (the address and time of the excursion beginning is indicated in advance by the guide). On the tour you need to have comfortable shoes, drinking water and a hat from the sun. To cross the border post between Jerusalem and Beit Shean, tourists need to have a passport with them.