Sharon is one of the largest valley-plains in modern Israel extending from Mt. Carmel to Tel Aviv (89 km) with Netanya as its capital. Today the region is one of Israel's most densely populated areas.
Mentioned several times in Bible, Sharon was one of the most fertile and beautiful places with renowned pasture lands; a place wherein King David’s herds and cattle were fed (I Chron 5:16; 27:29). The Plain of Sharon was known for its beautiful flowers in the time of King Solomon. The best analogy for natural beauty in Bible could be the famous verse from Song of Solomon, "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys" (2:1). No one today knows exactly what this flower looked like at the time of Solomon. Scholars have suggested different flowers to identify the 'Rose of Sharon'. The prophet Isaiah compares the Messianic period with Sharon's beauty; "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose…the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, [and] the excellency of our God." (35:1-2). The tour guide who accompanied us in the trip, quoted from Isaiah (33:9) about God's warning to the people that 'Sharon will be like a desert' if they turn away from him; but promised that 'it shall be a fold of flocks' (65:10), if they return. Christians believe that "Rose of Sharon" symbolically refers to Jesus. Lydda (today called Lod) in the southern Sharon is where Peter healed Aeneas, and “all those who lived Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned toward the Lord” (Acts 9:34). Joppa and Caesarea are some other famous Biblical cities in this region.
Strangely enough, during the course of time, the fertile Sharon became a marshland, being reclaimed only in the early twentieth century by Jews who migrated to Israel. We walked through the banks of Alexander River in Sharon plain. We were told that a few years back, the river (don’t dare to compare with the majestic rivers we have, it looked to me as a small stream) was very much polluted with industrial waste from an adjacent city. The reclamation measures taken by the government showed results, and today, Alexander stream has a very rich eco-system, including a large population of soft-shelled turtles. However, this narrow river is very ancient and the name is believed to have derived from 'Alexander the Great (356-323 BC)' or Alexander Jannaeus the Hasmonean King who ruled Israel from 103-76 BC. When Jews migrated to Israel during the early 20th century, the whole area was barren and filled with swamps. As a strategy to reclaim the marshlands, Eucalyptus trees were imported from Australia. The strategy worked effectively and today you find no marshlands here. There are eucalyptus groves and open areas where visitors can picnic and relax in natural surroundings. We saw an ancient ruin, called Hurvat Samra (a 19th century structure built above the ruins of a Roman era farm) near the eucalyptus grove. This was the Turkish customs house where raftsmen paid taxes on the goods and agricultural products (especially watermelon) they transported on the Alexander River to the port nearby.
The Alexander River empties into the Mediterranean Sea at the Beit Yannai beach. Since the whole area is fertile and close to Tel Aviv, there is a huge demand for land. But the government of Israel has declared this strip of land as 'Alexander River National Park', a protected area where no one can acquire land.
See more
http://www.israelinphotos.com/tour-KhirbetSamara.htm
http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?CNumber=336072
Mentioned several times in Bible, Sharon was one of the most fertile and beautiful places with renowned pasture lands; a place wherein King David’s herds and cattle were fed (I Chron 5:16; 27:29). The Plain of Sharon was known for its beautiful flowers in the time of King Solomon. The best analogy for natural beauty in Bible could be the famous verse from Song of Solomon, "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys" (2:1). No one today knows exactly what this flower looked like at the time of Solomon. Scholars have suggested different flowers to identify the 'Rose of Sharon'. The prophet Isaiah compares the Messianic period with Sharon's beauty; "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose…the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, [and] the excellency of our God." (35:1-2). The tour guide who accompanied us in the trip, quoted from Isaiah (33:9) about God's warning to the people that 'Sharon will be like a desert' if they turn away from him; but promised that 'it shall be a fold of flocks' (65:10), if they return. Christians believe that "Rose of Sharon" symbolically refers to Jesus. Lydda (today called Lod) in the southern Sharon is where Peter healed Aeneas, and “all those who lived Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned toward the Lord” (Acts 9:34). Joppa and Caesarea are some other famous Biblical cities in this region.
Strangely enough, during the course of time, the fertile Sharon became a marshland, being reclaimed only in the early twentieth century by Jews who migrated to Israel. We walked through the banks of Alexander River in Sharon plain. We were told that a few years back, the river (don’t dare to compare with the majestic rivers we have, it looked to me as a small stream) was very much polluted with industrial waste from an adjacent city. The reclamation measures taken by the government showed results, and today, Alexander stream has a very rich eco-system, including a large population of soft-shelled turtles. However, this narrow river is very ancient and the name is believed to have derived from 'Alexander the Great (356-323 BC)' or Alexander Jannaeus the Hasmonean King who ruled Israel from 103-76 BC. When Jews migrated to Israel during the early 20th century, the whole area was barren and filled with swamps. As a strategy to reclaim the marshlands, Eucalyptus trees were imported from Australia. The strategy worked effectively and today you find no marshlands here. There are eucalyptus groves and open areas where visitors can picnic and relax in natural surroundings. We saw an ancient ruin, called Hurvat Samra (a 19th century structure built above the ruins of a Roman era farm) near the eucalyptus grove. This was the Turkish customs house where raftsmen paid taxes on the goods and agricultural products (especially watermelon) they transported on the Alexander River to the port nearby.
The Alexander River empties into the Mediterranean Sea at the Beit Yannai beach. Since the whole area is fertile and close to Tel Aviv, there is a huge demand for land. But the government of Israel has declared this strip of land as 'Alexander River National Park', a protected area where no one can acquire land.
See more
http://www.israelinphotos.com/tour-KhirbetSamara.htm
http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?CNumber=336072
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