Mt. Carmel

Mt. Carmel overlooks the Mediterranean Sea about two-thirds of the way towards the northern border of Israel. The mountain is the home of the third largest city in Israel – Haifa – and has a rich history of inhabitants from many different cultures making it their home over the centuries. Some of the changes drenched the soil with blood, others didn’t, and Haifa actually is a city proud of its successes in coexistence. A recent tragedy was the forest fire in 2011 which destroyed so much of the greenery as well as a number of communities.

On the scientific and geographical side, some of the basic info about Mt. Carmel is that it’s actually not very high, only 546 meters. Being on the sea shore, most of the rocks are naturally marine sedimentary rocks. Volcanoes of ancient times threw skeletons of marine animals, coral and shellfish to the surface which can be found in layers of the mountain. There are three passes through the mountain which attest to it being an important route of travel in ancient times.

As in most locations visited by guests from around the world, the Carmel Mountain has Biblical references, mainly Elijah and the battle he fought there with the soldiers of the Baal priest, whom he slew by the Kishon River. The battle is commemorated with a monument at the Carmelite Monastery.

The Druze religious community, which is Arabic-speaking and a variation of Islam, has a large population on Mt. Carmel in the two towns of Usefiya and Dalyat el-Carmel.