Next stop, Banias, a cave in the north that is one of the three sources of the Jordan River. We viewed a grotto carved in the rock, with a trickle of water emerging from it.
Banias is an Arabic word that comes from Pan, the flute-playing half goat, half man. His shrine in the grotto was referred to as the "Gates of Hell", hence Jesus' reference to the gates of Hell not prevailing in the Bible, as it was a pagan area. Banias was renamed Caesarea Philippi in honour of Herod's son, Philip.
This was one of the towns Jesus visited with the disciples.
Here is a 3D representation of the Golan Heights. You can see how the high area towers over the rest of the landscape. As we were driving through this area towards the Mt. Bental viewpoint, we found the road blocked. Apparently the rain we were experiencing had turned to snow at higher heights.
Later, we stood at a former Israeli outpost overlooking Lebanon where two people had been shot not long ago! We knew Shmulik would not have taken us anywhere dangerous, though.
Here is Terry's telephoto shot of a tower in Syria to the east. Lebanon was to the west.
The border is still under army surveillance 24/7; there are still land mines in the area.
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| Snow capped hills |
Also in this Tel Dan National Park was Abraham's Gate. By then we were all tired of climbing up and down uneven steps in the rain. We were glad to stop for lunch in Qazrin at a fast food place. There were only two choices: a chicken dish I've forgotten the name of, and falafel pita, surprisingly good. Even better was getting back to the hotel to have what my mother used to call "a nice cup of tea."
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