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Arbel - A
River, A Fortress and a settlement
We started our trip in Moshav Arbel (Arbel
settlement), next
to Tiberias, on road number 7717.
We parked our car
close to the Moshav gate, and started walking towards Arbel mountain on
an asphalt road (passable by cars to those who are not interested in
walking), the road goes north-west from the gate and surrounds the
Moshav.
The way up to the
mountain is set with almonds which are covered with white flowers on
this time of year, on the other hand, on both sides of the road,
thousands of blue lupines defy the cows "Do not eat me! I'm poisonous!".
We reject the lifts
offered by nice drivers to the head of the Arbel, the blooming is much
better than any car sits.
The way to the
Arbel on this season, is a colorful experience which gives a nice view
on the Arbel mountain from the right, the Nitai mountain from the left,
and between them flows the Arbel river towards the Kinnereth.
The paved way ends at a parking area on
Arbel mountain, and a short tour on the peak reveals a panoramic view
of the Kinnereth, the surroundings of Arbel valley which we came from,
and the village "Hamam" placed to the feet of the Arbel north of us. We
chose the red path, which led us to the northern cliff of the mountain,
and goes down steeply in a way with lots of metal stairs for the safety
of the tourists.
The
way down the steep cliff challenges
our adrenaline glands, but the view of Nitai mountain in front of us
relieves the soul. The mountain in front of us is grooved by caves
which
looked like they were mined by human. I wonder what stories are hidden
there...
The red path continues about 100 meters
east to the feet of the cliff. There, we see remnants of a fortress
which by the stories of Josephus Flavius, was fortified by the last
followers of Hashmonai house. Herod's armies attacked it by lowering
soldiers in metal cages from the peak of the cliff, and they pulled the
followers to the chasm with hooked poles.
Sadly, the fortress is under
renovation,
and we can't enter. The red path continues easily downwards, towards
Hamam village. At the end of the path we meet the Arbel river which
flows strongly, and continue along the river on the blue path.
The way along the river is set with nice
resting spots, but also with some pits made by field cards, which are
filled with water, and forces the tourists to walk through the river,
while the water reach our knees.
After
two kilometers we leave the river on
the green path, which climbs steeply but easily, back to the road we
came from. A little bit before the road, we walk by the remnants of the
old Arbel cemetery. We can see some old burial caves that look to the
amazing view of Arbel river. We cross the road, and continue through a
small parking area on the side of the road, to the remaining of the
old synagogue of Arbel, which was preserved pretty well, even some
support poles are still standing.
We
go back to our car, on the road we came from, and sadly say goodbye to
the white almonds, heading back home.
Trip
Summary - From the Arbel
settlement to Arbel mountain, down to Hamam village and back through
Arbel river and Arbel ruins.
Difficulty level - easy,
except for the way down from the Arbel
which is a little challenging.
Month of travel - February
Summary - A trip in the heart
of an amazing blooming, with a lot
of interesting spots.
Links - Arbel
in wikipedia
Key words - Arbel river,
Arbel, Arbel mountain, Hamam, Arbel
synagogue
trips in this web site were
conducted by y-trip team
the trips are only for describing our personal
trip and are not a trip suggestion
he who want to do one of this trips should consult the appropriate
authorities
responsibility on conducting the trips will be on the hiker only.
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