In the eastern Lower Galilee, on the way to Tiberias, a monumental cliff towers up, offering a breathtaking view of the Jordan Valley, the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights, Mt Hermon, and the Galilee. This is the Arbel Cliff, the heart of the Arbel Nature Reserve, declared in 1967, and the national park that surrounds it, which also includes Mt Nitai, Mt Savyon, the Horns of Hittim, and the Arbel Plateau.
The main importance of the nature reserve and the reason for its declaration is preservation of the diversity of habitats it contains and the unique species that inhabit it, as well as the fact that it is part of a continuum of natural areas, allowing wildlife to pass between them. In addition, the site was declared a nature reserve in order to restore and conserve the fascinating heritage sites and antiquities found at Arbel.
These sites include Arbel Fortress and the impressive cave village, where historic battles were fought in the days of Herod, Horvat Vradim (Hamam), and the ruins of the Jewish settlement of Arbel, in which the remains of a splendid ancient Galilean synagogue are still to be seen.
Arbel rises to a height of 181 m above sea level, some 390 m above the Sea of Galilee, and it looks out over and can be seen from a great distance. It is the hard limestone and dolomite rocks of which the cliff is made that have given it its impressive vertical character. Cliffs like Arbel are not commonly found in the landscapes of our country, and it is home to a diversity of plants, birds, and cliff-dwelling animals. Preserving these unique nature and landscape values is of the greatest importance.
Among the species that are unique to the park and nature reserve is a species of snail that exists only at the Arbel, a small snail by the name of Cristataria genezerethana; there are also rare plants (the bladder senna (colutea istria), and rock scrophularia (Scrophularia xylorrhiza), among others); the wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria), a bird that over-winters here, and looks like a red butterfly in flight; nesting birds of prey, and many more.
From the entrance to the national park there are marked hiking trails that pass through these sites. The combination of a visit to the historic and archaeological sites and the experience of nature and the breathtaking clifftop view is the uniquely magical secret of the Arbel.
Points of interest
Arbel Fortress and the Caves – there are hundreds of gaping caves in the cliff, initially formed in a natural (karstic) process, and then carved out and enlarged by man as prehistoric dwellings. Later the caves were turned into a large fortress, with concealed passages, staircases, halls, and cisterns. A life-and-death battle took place here between Herod and his opponents, who lived in the Arbel caves. The experience starts with a challenging descent to the Fortress, with the help of stairs, spikes and cables that have been installed as hand-holds for the visitors’ safety.
Arbel Synagogue – the remains of ancient Arbel were found in the northern part of Moshav Arbel, among them the ruins of an ancient synagogue that was built in the 4th century CE and destroyed in the 8th century. In order to set the synagogue apart from other buildings in the area, it was a drywall construction of large limestone blocks, which stood out against the basalt rock that was common in the area and was used to build the houses. One very impressive pillar still stands in the building’s façade. Other parts of the doorway remain scattered around the site, decorated with vegetal designs.
Other points of interest in the area: Mt Nitai, Arbel Stream, Nabi Shu’ayb (a Druze holy site), the volcanic Horns of Hittim, and the synagogue at Horvat Vradim (Wadi Hamam).