Mount Carmel

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Carmel or Carmel (Hebrew כרמל derived from kerem el, " God's vineyard ."; Arab جبل الكرمل Jabal al - Karmal ) is a mountain in Israel. It is 23 km long and 8-10 km wide and rises to a height of 546 meters along the Mediterranean coast. Because of the relatively high rainfall, the mountain has lush vegetation and was declared a National Park.

In a figurative sense Carmel may refer to a monastery, named after the mountain or Carmelites Carmelites.

History

The area of Carmel is one of the early settlements of mankind. In the caves of Skhul Kebara and traces of the Neanderthals and archaic Homo sapiens from the period about 130,000 years ago ( Paleolithic ) were found. Of the Canaanites of the god Baal was worshiped on Mount Carmel. According to Old Testament tradition, David is said to have incorporated around 1000 BC, the area in his kingdom.

Only later did the cult of YHWH stood out against the precursor religion. In the following centuries the state changed frequently over the Carmel area; The area was among other things to the Assyrian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empire. From the Crusades Christians settled in Carmel. Since 1948, the mountain is part of Israeli territory.

In December 2010, broke out in the northern Carmel Mountain fire from spreading to the vast forest areas and large damage wreaked ( see main article forest fire in Israel 2010). Several thousand hectares of forest were reduced to ashes.

Locations in the area of Carmel

Most important city in the area of ​​Carmel Haifa, which extends on the northern slopes of the mountains, the Karmelkap, about 300 meters altitude difference from the sea up the hillsides. Particularly striking is the high-rise tower of the University located in the comb area.

Also interesting for tourists are the Druze villages Daliyat al - Karmil and Isfiya, the two Christian Karmelitenklöster, the artists' village of En Hod and Zichron Yaakov, the city in which the largest Israeli wine producer Carmel has one of its headquarters.

Also located in Haifa, the Shrine of the Bab, which is located within the Hanging Gardens of Bahai. This architecturally interesting park extends over a kilometer down to the German settlement, which was built by the Protestant pietistic Temple Society from 1869. In Haifa is the Baha'i World Centre, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.