A hike up Mount Tabor - site of Jewish and Christian history

On Tuesday morning, we drove to Mount Tabor.  This is important to Christians as the location of the Transfiguration of Christ.  Over a thousand years earlier, it was the location of the battle between the Jews led by the judge Deborah, against the Canaanite King Jabin and his general Sisera.  (Editorial comment:  I admire Deborah over all women who lived within a thousand years of her, as she attained her status of judge and then military leader through wisdom, honesty, bravery, and strength of character).

The trailhead up the mountain began in a Bedouin village.  This picture indicates who are their best customers:

So if you thought this trip to Israel was mainly for Jews - think harder!

The ascent was steep and difficult - about 400 meters vertically on a trail strewn with rocks and loose soil.  We were greeted by several residents of the area, one of whom posed for a picture.   Here are a few pictures of the trip uphill:

Debbie, Bob, Rita (partly hidden), Mike, and Ron stand up to catch their breath while Rose is sitting.  Asaf is behind the camera.

This guy knows how to pose for a picture!

At the top of Mount Tabor are two churches.   The Orthodox Church was closed, so we only saw the Catholic Church - and it was magnificent.   Asaf told us the account from the New Testament of Jesus walking up Mount Tabor with two of his disciples (they must have been very physically fit!).   The disciples fell asleep, and Jesus was transfigured from a simple man into a radiant god.  The church that is there now was built in the early 1900s.

 After we left the church, we moved to a nearby patio where Asaf recounted to us the events of the war between the Israelites and the Canaanites mentioned above.  As some background (not listed in the Book of Judges), he showed us a map of the region.  There was commerce between the north in Lebanon, Turkey, and Assyria and the south in Egypt.  The best routes went through what is now Northern Israel.  However, the ridge now known as the Carmel Mountains (climbed on Monday) was a barrier on that route.  There were a handful of passes, including one by the sea, and another not far from Mount Carmel.  So this was a location that controlled some valuable territory - and a good location for a battle.   While Asaf was talking, we had some visits from local residents.   Here is one making friends with Rose:



The descent was by a different trail, slightly steeper than the ascent. I (Bob) and Rose each took a spill on the way down - I am uninjured and Rose has only a minor injury that did not slow her down at all.   Here come Debbie, Mike, and Rita about two thirds of the way down.



The climb up Mount Tabor took a little over two hours, and the climb back down over an hour.

We drove from there to the Sea of Galilee - also known as Lake Kinneret.  This is another area rife with history for Jews and Christians.  Our plans were to do one more activity more suited to a Hiking Club - go to cliffs at Mount Arbel and climb down the first few hundred feet on iron bars riveted to the stone face of the cliff, and then hike down another very steep trail.   However, this facility was closed.

In its place, we had a fantastic treat - we went to an archaeological site operated by one of Asaf's professors, and in which he has done some work along with members of his family.  This will be described in the next posting.