Tiyul to the Hills of Gilboa

Today is Hoshanah Rabah/Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah (3 holidays all in one, and it also marks the end of Succot!). After a nice meal with our neighbors, Mordechi and Avigail, in their sukkah, we decided to hop into the car and drive once more to the Hills of Gilboa, which are located right next to Shomron (the northern part of the misnamed "West Bank"). I have been there twice before and David once, but it was too hot those times for hiking. Today, we had perfect hiking weather -- not too hot, with a nice cool breeze.

First, we hiked a 300-meter loop (about a tenth of a mile) called האירוסים Ha-Irusim ("The Irises"). We must be sure to return there in late March or early April, when there will be many flowers, including irises, blooming.

After that, we drove a very short distance further along the road and parked in the parking lot for הר ברקן Har Barkan ("Mount Barqan"). On the top, a short walk from the parking lot, is a look-out tower which is primarily for use by the foresters. But it was open, so I walked up the 65 steps and took several pictures from the top. Actually, the view from the ground is pretty good, too, but I'm an acromaniac, so a tower (or just about any other high place) is nearly irresistible for me! :-) David, on the other hand, waited patiently for me at the bottom of the tower.

Anyway, I'm including a couple of pictures here that I took from up there. The first is the view across to the next ridge, where you can see a Muslim village (with at least 2 minarets), which I'm sure is the other side of the "Green Line" (the 1949 armistice line that, at that time, separated Israel from Jordan). In the valley, you can see something that looks like a road but is almost certainly the barrier, a temporary fence/wall built to prevent terrorists from infiltrating and killing random civilians.

The second picture is also taken from the tower. In it, you can see Beit She'an (a modern Israeli city) in the Jordan River Valley. On the horizon are hills on the other side of the Jordan River, which are in Jordan. By the way, there is a very interesting national park in Beit She'an where a significant part of an ancient Roman city (one of the 10 making up the "Decapolis") has been unearthed, including a large amphitheater and two bathhouses. On the nearby tel, there are also ruins from a much earlier time: an Egyptian outpost from Canaanite times!

One more note: today was a somewhat clear day, but on a really very clear day it would probably be possible to see Tsfat from Har Barkan!