The Jerusalem Mountains
Jerusalem Mountains are part of the larger Judean Mountains that are generally classified into three regions. The northern Bet-El Hills are mostly mountainous terrain with the highest peak of Israel, Har Meron (1016 m above sea level) in the region. The central Jerusalem Hills (where we hiked) reach an average altitude of 800 meters above sea level, characterized by deep valleys and streams, the largest of which is Nahal Soreq. The southern region is called Hebron Hills which have a mean altitude of 1000 meters above sea level. The Judean Hills contain many forested nature reserves
Hiking
The hiked path was a 12 km stretch through the Jerusalem mountains (West to Jerusalem City) that took us 7 hrs (From 9 am to 4 pm ). These valleys and mountains had been sites of many conflicts from Biblical times to the establishment of Israel in 1948. Ironically, the eastern side Jerusalem is flanked by the sparsely populated Judean desert..... We started our hike from the hill top called Hurbet Yallah, believed to be the site of an ancient monastery. The whole valley beyond this mountain had been the scenes of deadly battles between Jews and Arabs in the war of independence. I was told that there were 14 battles in the year 1948 alone and 10 were for Jerusalem. Israelis defeated the Jordanian and Egyptian armies in the fateful year. Today most of the settlements here are Jewish. Towards the west of this mount you can see the city of Beth Shemesh. Excavations of Beth Shemesh are visible in the foreground and to the west lies behind is the Sorek Valley.
Beth Shemesh
Beth-Shemesh means House of the Sun. Modern city of Beit Shemesh is hardly 60 years old. Beit Shemesh has a considerable Orthodox Jewish population including a sizable Chareidi (ultra-Orthodox). In Bible there is an interesting account about the Holy Ark that happened here once. After capturing the Ark of the Covenant and suffering plagues upon their cities, the Philistines returned the Ark to Beth-shemesh. They placed it on a cart and which was pulled by two nursing cows. As evidence of God’s control, the cows did not turn back to their calves but moved 9 miles up the Sorek Valley from Ekron to Beth-shemesh. The inhabitants of Beth-shemesh then offered the cows as a sacrifice to the Lord. Some men looked inside of the Ark, however, contrary to the Lord’s command. As a result God killed 50,070 men of Beth-shemesh. In great fear, the Beth-shemeshites sent the Ark of the Covenant to the city of Kiriath-Jearim near Jerusalem, where it remained for twenty years (1 Sam 6:10-21)
The Brook of Sorek
From his birth to various phases of Samson's personal life occurred around this valley, also called the Valley of Sorek, (Judges 16:4). It was the place where Delilah lived, and Samson came there to meet her for the first time. It was also the place she tempted him to tell the secret of his strength, and where he was eventually captured by the Philistines.
Nahal Katlav
This valley is filled with the beautiful red-trunked katlav trees (Arbutus), reeds and archaeological ruins. Katlav is an evergreen tree that grows 5 to 25 m tall, with a striking reddish bark. There are many legends surrounding the source of the K'talav tree's name, such as it sprouted from the blood of Habel after he was murdered by Cain or from the blood of Absalom (Son of David) when he also had a horrible death. In Hebrew, the word Katlav has its origin from "Ketel" that means murder. To my surprise, the Hindi word Khatal (which also means murder) has similar roots (may be identical).
The Jaffa-Jerusalem railway line
Runs along the valley here was inaugurated by the Turks in 1882 and refurbished by the British in 1917. It is the oldest railway track (still used) in Israel. It took 3hrs and 50 min to travel from Jaffa to Jerusalem (87 km) those times! The line was discontinued in 1998 due to infeasibility and high maintenance costs and reopened in 2003.
Dir E-Sheikh
A sheikh’s tomb with a rather impressive adjacent mosque and courtyard, where steps lead down to a water-hole.
See also http://www.katlav.co.il/test/ABOUT_Name_Source_e.htm
Jerusalem Mountains are part of the larger Judean Mountains that are generally classified into three regions. The northern Bet-El Hills are mostly mountainous terrain with the highest peak of Israel, Har Meron (1016 m above sea level) in the region. The central Jerusalem Hills (where we hiked) reach an average altitude of 800 meters above sea level, characterized by deep valleys and streams, the largest of which is Nahal Soreq. The southern region is called Hebron Hills which have a mean altitude of 1000 meters above sea level. The Judean Hills contain many forested nature reserves
Hiking
The hiked path was a 12 km stretch through the Jerusalem mountains (West to Jerusalem City) that took us 7 hrs (From 9 am to 4 pm ). These valleys and mountains had been sites of many conflicts from Biblical times to the establishment of Israel in 1948. Ironically, the eastern side Jerusalem is flanked by the sparsely populated Judean desert..... We started our hike from the hill top called Hurbet Yallah, believed to be the site of an ancient monastery. The whole valley beyond this mountain had been the scenes of deadly battles between Jews and Arabs in the war of independence. I was told that there were 14 battles in the year 1948 alone and 10 were for Jerusalem. Israelis defeated the Jordanian and Egyptian armies in the fateful year. Today most of the settlements here are Jewish. Towards the west of this mount you can see the city of Beth Shemesh. Excavations of Beth Shemesh are visible in the foreground and to the west lies behind is the Sorek Valley.
Beth Shemesh
Beth-Shemesh means House of the Sun. Modern city of Beit Shemesh is hardly 60 years old. Beit Shemesh has a considerable Orthodox Jewish population including a sizable Chareidi (ultra-Orthodox). In Bible there is an interesting account about the Holy Ark that happened here once. After capturing the Ark of the Covenant and suffering plagues upon their cities, the Philistines returned the Ark to Beth-shemesh. They placed it on a cart and which was pulled by two nursing cows. As evidence of God’s control, the cows did not turn back to their calves but moved 9 miles up the Sorek Valley from Ekron to Beth-shemesh. The inhabitants of Beth-shemesh then offered the cows as a sacrifice to the Lord. Some men looked inside of the Ark, however, contrary to the Lord’s command. As a result God killed 50,070 men of Beth-shemesh. In great fear, the Beth-shemeshites sent the Ark of the Covenant to the city of Kiriath-Jearim near Jerusalem, where it remained for twenty years (1 Sam 6:10-21)
The Brook of Sorek
From his birth to various phases of Samson's personal life occurred around this valley, also called the Valley of Sorek, (Judges 16:4). It was the place where Delilah lived, and Samson came there to meet her for the first time. It was also the place she tempted him to tell the secret of his strength, and where he was eventually captured by the Philistines.
Nahal Katlav
This valley is filled with the beautiful red-trunked katlav trees (Arbutus), reeds and archaeological ruins. Katlav is an evergreen tree that grows 5 to 25 m tall, with a striking reddish bark. There are many legends surrounding the source of the K'talav tree's name, such as it sprouted from the blood of Habel after he was murdered by Cain or from the blood of Absalom (Son of David) when he also had a horrible death. In Hebrew, the word Katlav has its origin from "Ketel" that means murder. To my surprise, the Hindi word Khatal (which also means murder) has similar roots (may be identical).
The Jaffa-Jerusalem railway line
Runs along the valley here was inaugurated by the Turks in 1882 and refurbished by the British in 1917. It is the oldest railway track (still used) in Israel. It took 3hrs and 50 min to travel from Jaffa to Jerusalem (87 km) those times! The line was discontinued in 1998 due to infeasibility and high maintenance costs and reopened in 2003.
Dir E-Sheikh
A sheikh’s tomb with a rather impressive adjacent mosque and courtyard, where steps lead down to a water-hole.
See also http://www.katlav.co.il/test/ABOUT_Name_Source_e.htm
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