17/9/2017 Mount Hermon - Wikipedia

Mount Hermon
Coordinates: 332458N 355127E

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mount Hermon (Arabic: or / ALA-LC: Jabal al-Shaykh ("Mountain

of the Sheikh") or Jabal Haramun; Hebrew: , Har Hermon) is a mountain Mount Hermon
cluster constituting the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit Arabic: Jabal ash-Shaykh
straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon[1] and, at 2,814 m (9,232 ft) above sea Hebrew: Har Hermon
level, is the highest point in Syria.[2] On the top, in the United Nations buffer zone
between Syrian and Israeli-occupied territories, is the highest permanently manned UN
position in the world, known as "Hermon Hotel".[3] The southern slopes of Mount
Hermon extend to the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights, where the Mount
Hermon ski resort is located.[4] A peak in this area rising to 2,236 m (7,336 ft) is the
highest elevation in Israeli-controlled territory.

Contents
1 Geography Mount Hermon, viewed from Mount Bental in the Golan
2 Epigraphy, archaeology and references in religious texts Heights
3 Climate
Highest point
4 Arab-Israeli conflict
5 Ski resort Elevation 2,814 m (9,232 ft)
6 See also Prominence 1,804 m (5,919 ft)
7 References Listing Country high point
8 External links Ultra
Coordinates 332458N 355127E
Geography
Geography
Mount Hermon is a cluster of mountains with three distinct summits, each about the
same height. The antilibanos (anti-Lebanon range), of which the Hermon range
constitutes the southernmost part, extends for approximately 150 km (93 mi) in a
northeast-southwest direction, running parallel to the Lebanon range on the west. The Mount
Hermon
Hermon range covers an area of about 700 km2 (270 sq mi) of which about 70 km2
(27 sq mi) are under Israeli control. Most of the portion of Mount Hermon within the
Israeli-controlled area constitutes the Hermon nature reserve. The entire relatively
narrow range, with the Lebanon-Syria boundary along its spine, extends from 25km
northeast of Mt. Hermon to 45km southwest of it.[5][6]

The mountain forms one of the greatest geographic resources of the area. Because of its
height it captures a great deal of precipitation in a very dry area of the world. The
Jurassic limestone is broken by faults and solution channels to form a karst topography.
Mount Hermon has seasonal winter and spring snow falls, which cover all three of its
peaks for most of the year. Melt water from the snow-covered mountain's western and
southern bases seeps into the rock channels and pores, feeding springs at the base of the Mount Hermon's summit straddles the border
between Lebanon and Syria.
mountain, which form streams and rivers. These merge to become the Jordan River.
Additionally, the runoff facilitates fertile plant life below the snow line, where Location Syria (southern slopes are located in the
vineyards and pine, oak, and poplar trees are abundant.[7] Israeli-occupied Golan Heights)
Lebanon
The springs, and the mountain itself, are much contested by the nations of the area for Parent range Anti-Lebanon mountain range
the use of the water. Mount Hermon is also called the "snowy mountain," the "gray-
haired mountain", and the "mountain of snow". It is also called "the eyes of the nation" in Israel because its elevation makes it Israel's
primary strategic early warning system.[8][9]

Epigraphy, archaeology and references in religious texts

The Epic of Gilgamesh mentions that Mount Hermon split after Gilgamesh kills Humbaba, the Guardian of the Cedar Forest. One
translation of Tablet V states, "The ground split open with the heels of their feet, as they whirled around in circles Mt. Hermon and
Lebanon split."[10]

In the Book of Enoch, Mount Hermon is the place where the Watcher class of fallen angels descended to Earth. They swear upon the
mountain that they would take wives among the daughters of men and take mutual imprecation for their sin (Enoch 6). The mountain
or summit is referred to as Saphon in Ugaritic texts where the palace of Ba'al is located in a myth about Attar.[11][12] The Book of

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Chronicles also mentions Mount Hermon as a place where Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel were the heads of
their families.[13] R.T. France, in his book on the Gospel of Matthew, noted that Mount Hermon was a possible location of the
Transfiguration of Jesus.[14][15]

Various Temples of Mount Hermon can be found in villages on the slopes. There is a sacred building made of hewn blocks of stone on
the summit of Mount Hermon. Known as Qasr Antar, it is the highest temple of the ancient world and was documented by Sir Charles
Warren in 1869. An inscription on a limestone stele recovered by Warren from Qasr Antar was translated by George Nickelsburg to
read "According to the command of the greatest a (nd) Holy God, those who take an oath (proceed) from here." Nickelsburg connected
the inscription with oath taken by the angels under Semjaza who took an oath together, bound by a curse in order to take human wives
in the Book of Enoch (1 Enoch 6:6). Hermon was said to have become known as "the mountain of oath" by Charles Simon Clermont-
Ganneau. The name of God was supposed to be a Hellenized version of Baal or Hadad and Nickelsburg connected it with the place
name of Baal-Hermon (Lord of Hermon) and the deity given by Enoch as "The Great Holy One".[16] The mountain was said to have
become known as "the mountain of oath" by Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau. Eusebius recognized the religious importance of
Hermon in his work Onomasticon, saying "Until today, the mount in front of Panias and Lebanon is known as Hermon and it is
respected by nations as a sanctuary". It has been related to the Arabic term al-haram, which means "sacred enclosure".[17] Another
Greek inscription found in a large temple at Deir El Aachayer on the northern slopes notes the year that a bench was installed "in the
year 242, under Beeliabos, also called Diototos, son of Abedanos, high priest of the gods of Kiboreia". The era of the gods of Kiboreia
is not certain, nor is their location which is not conclusively to be identified with Deir al-Achayer, but was possibly the Roman
sanctuary or the name of a settlement in the area.[18]

In Psalm 42, which leads the Psalms of the northern kingdom, the Psalmist remembers God from the land of Jordan and the
Hermonites. In Song of Songs 4:8, Hermon is an instance of an exotic locale, and the Song of Ascents as well as Psalm 133:3 make
specific reference to the abundant dew formation upon Mount Hermon.[19]

According to the controversial research by Professor Israel Knohl of the Hebrew University, in his book "Hashem", Mount Hermon is
actually the Mount Sinai mentioned in the bible, with the biblical story reminiscent of an ancient battle of the northern tribes with the
Egyptians somewhere in the Jordan valley or Golan heights.[20]

Climate
Climate data for Hermon (1640 meters above sea level)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average
3.3 4.0 7.6 12.0 16.0 19.4 21.6 21.7 19.1 15.3 10.2 5.1 12.94
high C
(37.9) (39.2) (45.7) (53.6) (60.8) (66.9) (70.9) (71.1) (66.4) (59.5) (50.4) (41.2) (55.3)
(F)
Daily
1.2 1.9 4.1 7.5 11.2 14.5 16.8 16.7 14.3 11.2 7.0 3.3 9.14
mean
(34.2) (35.4) (39.4) (45.5) (52.2) (58.1) (62.2) (62.1) (57.7) (52.2) (44.6) (37.9) (48.46)
C (F)
Average
2.2 3.1 0.6 3.1 6.4 9.6 12.0 11.8 9.5 7.2 2.7 0.5 4.76
low C
(28) (26.4) (33.1) (37.6) (43.5) (49.3) (53.6) (53.2) (49.1) (45) (36.9) (31.1) (40.57)
(F)
Average
rainfall 300.3 250.4 138.8 100.2 30.2 7.5 1.7 0.9 10.4 110.6 175.3 226.5 1,352.8
mm (11.823) (9.858) (5.465) (3.945) (1.189) (0.295) (0.067) (0.035) (0.409) (4.354) (6.902) (8.917) (53.259)
(inches)
Average
rainy 20.8 19.3 11.5 8.8 5.8 2.3 0.7 0.6 3.5 11.2 15.5 18.9 118.9
days

Arab-Israeli conflict
During the Six day war in June 1967, a part of Mount Hermon in Syria was captured by Israel. It was regained by Syria on October 6,
1973, the first day of the Yom Kippur War, following the First Battle of Mount Hermon. Israel recaptured both the formerly Israeli-
occupied sector and the pre-Yom Kippur War Syrian-controlled sector on October 21, 1973, during Operation Dessert.[21] The pre-
Yom Kippur War Syrian-controlled sector was returned to Syria after the war.[22]

The Israeli-occupied sector of the mountain became patrolled by the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Police, and the Israeli
Security Forces have maintained a strategic observation post for monitoring Syrian and Lebanese military activity near Mitzpe
Shlagim ("Snow Lookout"), which is at an elevation of about 2,224 m (7,300 ft). Its neighboring peak, at 2,236 m (7,336 ft), is the
highest elevation in Israeli-occupied territory.[23]

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Since the onset of Syrian Civil War, the Syrian-controlled Hermon has continued to be under pro-Assad forces, though clashes have
sporadically erupted on the mountain range and spilled into Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied portion. Most notably the Islamist rebel
factions of Jaish al-Haramoun took part in the fighting on the Southern slopes of the mountain.

Ski resort
Since 1981, when the Golan Heights Law was passed, the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan
Heights has been governed under Israeli law. Mount Hermon hosts the only ski resort in territory
held by Israel, including a wide range of ski trails at novice, intermediate, and expert levels. It also
offers additional winter family activities such as sledding and Nordic skiing. Those who operate
the Hermon Ski area live in the nearby Israeli settlement of Neve Ativ and the Druze town of
Majdal Shams. The ski resort has a ski school, ski patrol, and several restaurants located at either
the bottom or peak of the area. In 2005, the Syrian government had plans to develop a 15-billion-
dollar ski resort on the slopes of the mountain.[24]
The Mount Hermon ski resort on the
See also southeastern slopes of the mountain

Hermon nature reserve

Mountains in the Golan Heights
First Battle of Mount Hermon
Second Battle of Mount Hermon
Third Battle of Mount Hermon
List of elevation extremes by country

References
1. "ACME Mapper terrain display" (http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=33.416111,35.8575&z=14&t=R&marker0=33.416111,35.8575,M
ount%20Hermon). mapper.acme.com. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
2. "CIA World Fact Book: Syria" (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sy.html). 14 November 2011.
Retrieved 27 November 2011. "highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m"
3. Grppel, Ekkehard (AprilJune 2013). "It is time to say Goodbye!" (https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/undof/docum
ents/golan/golan_journal_135.pdf) (PDF). Golan: The UNDOF Journal. United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (135):
1015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
4. The World's 18 Strangest Ski Resorts: The Mount Hermon Ski Resort (http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/skiing
-boarding/the-worlds-18-strangest-ski-resorts-2#fbIndex2), Shannon Hassett, Popular Mechanics
5. The Hermon entry area (http://lib.cet.ac.il/pages/item.asp?item=12977) Israeli Liberary of Technology for Education (in
Hebrew)
6. The Hermon Shoulder (http://www.sviva.gov.il/subjectsEnv/OpenSpaces/Landscape-Units/Pages/Hermon.aspx) Israeli Ministry
of Environment website (in Hebrew)
7. The vegetation of Mount Hermon (http://web.macam.ac.il/~livne/tanya/goraxermon/ZomeahandXai_hermon.htm) Mike Livneh
(In Hebrew, Israel Mofet Unit of Research and Development, Dept. Of Education)
8. [http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/If-UN-positions-on-Syria-border-fall-to-radicals-Israel-will-have-to-respond-
441315 If UN positions on Syria border fall to radicals Israel will have to respond] Yacov Lapin, January 13, 2016 (Jerusalem
Post)
9. They Eyes of the Country have closed (http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3334521,00.html) death of the soldier who
coined the term "The eyes of the country" for a battle on the Hermon Mountain (in Hebrew, Ynet)
10. Kovacs, Maureen (1989). The Epic of Gilgamesh. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 43. ISBN 0804715890.
11. John C. L. Gibson; Nick Wyatt; Wilfred G. E. Watson; Jeffery B. Lloyd (1996). Ugarit, religion and culture: proceedings of the
International Colloquium on Ugarit, religion and culture, Edinburgh, July 1994 : essays presented in honour of Professor John
C.L. Gibson (https://books.google.com/books?id=SgxmAAAAMAAJ). Ugarit-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-927120-37-2. Retrieved
20 June 2011.
12. Manfried Dietrich; Oswald Loretz (1996). Ugarit-Forschungen, p. 236 (https://books.google.com/books?id=P9tiAAAAMAAJ).
Verlag Butzon & Bercker. ISBN 978-3-7887-1588-5. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
13. 1 Chronicles 5:23-24 (http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/?osis=niv:1_Chronicles.5:2324:23)
14. R.T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) (IVP Academic, 2008)
15. Harrington, Daniel (1991). Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Matthew. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press. p. 253.
ISBN 0-8146-5803-2.
16. Nickelsburg, 1 Enoch 1. A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch, 136; 81108 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001.
17. E. A. Myers (11 February 2010). The Ituraeans and the Roman Near East: Reassessing the Sources (https://books.google.com/b
ooks?id=-cRrGQ8bIAkC&pg=PA65). Cambridge University Press. pp. 65. ISBN 978-0-521-51887-1. Retrieved 18 September
2012.
18. Fergus Millar (1993). The Roman Near East, 31 B.C.-A.D. 337 (https://books.google.com/books?id=IA-YlZqHv90C&pg=PA31
1). Harvard University Press. pp. 311. ISBN 978-0-674-77886-3. Retrieved 18 September 2012.

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19. Clifford, Richard J. (1 November 2003). Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries: Psalms 73-150 (https://books.google.com/boo
ks?id=e3jMAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT263). Abingdon Press. pp. 263264. ISBN 978-1-4267-6009-9. "Hermon is an instance of an
exotic locale, as in Song 4:8, where it occurs with several other place names. Mount Hermon was famous for its heavy dew.
Though the Mediterranean climate of Palestine had no rainfall from May or June to September, it had dew. Dew was important
in the summer and a supplement to rain. Zion was therefore a place of fertility which even in the rainless season has an
abundance of dew, like that of mighty Hermon to the north. So plentiful is it that it runs down [NRSV: falls on] the mountains
of Zion (Ps 133:3)."
20. Pharaohs War with the Israelites: The Untold Story (http://azure.org.il/include/print.php?id=543) Israel Knohl, Azure Magazine
#41, Summer 2010 (Azure Magazine website)
21. "The Yom Kippur War" (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3621090,00.html). Ynetnews. 2008-11-11. Retrieved
24 November 2008.
22. "Syria" (http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3285832,00.html). Ynetnews. 2007-12-23. Retrieved 25 November
2008.
23. Cordesman, Anthony H. (2008). Israel and Syria (https://books.google.com/books?id=zr6Y3VusjqIC). USA: Center for
Strategic and International Studies. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-313-35520-2. Retrieved 2 September 2011. "Its adjacent peak, at 2,236
meters, is the highest elevation in Israel."
24. "Syria unveils 15 billion dollar tourism project" (http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=15277). Middle East Online.
Dec 20, 2005.

External links
Media related to Mount Hermon at Wikimedia Commons

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