Mount Tabor

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For That's My World I wanted to show you Mount Tabor, as seen from the bus that goes between Jerusalem and Tiberias.

When the bus turns toward the flat, fertile Jezreel Valley, you suddenly see a mountain looming in the distance. It is only 460 meters above the valley floor, but still it "looms."

The hill is strategically located on the main north-south ancient road and was an important fortress during the First and Second Temple, Greek, Roman and Crusader times--the scene of many battles. This Via Maris (Derech Hayam) went from Egypt to Damascus and was one of the most important trade routes in the ancient Middle East.

If you click the photos you can see agriculture on the slopes.

Around the base of Mt. Tabor are Arab villages such as Deburiah and Iksal and the Bedouin Shibli-Umm al-Ghanam.

About half of the population of Galilee (Israel's northern region) are Arab citizens.

In Christian tradition Tabor is identified as the Mount of Transfiguration, on top of which Jesus was transfigured.

Today both the Franciscans and the Greek Orthodox have monasteries on the mountaintop.

You can see the outline here of the Church of the Transfiguration.

The site is accessible by car only from the north side, by a winding narrow road.

Or, you can always climb the 4,300 stairs that were built in the 4th century for the Christian pilgrims.

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Psalms 89:12 names two mountains:

"The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name."

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For wonderful aerial photos of Mt. Tabor see http://www.biblewalks.com/Sites/Tabor.html.
and a Franciscan video about the mountain and the church on top. 

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