Wikipedia

Upper Galilee

TheUpper Galilee(Hebrew:הגליל העליון,HaGalil Ha'Elyon;Arabic:الجليل الأعلى,Al Jaleel Al A'alaa) is a geographical region located in northernIsraelandsouthern Lebanon.Part of the largerGalileeregion, it is characterized by its higher elevations and mountainous terrain. The term "Upper Galilee" is ancient, and has been in use since the end of theSecond Temple period.From a political perspective, the Upper Galilee is situated within the administrative boundaries of theNorthern Districtof Israel.

Upper Galilee
  • הגליל העליון(Hebrew)
  • الجليل الأعلى(Arabic)
Region
A lemon orchard in the Galilee
A lemon orchard in the Galilee
Coordinates:32°59′N35°24′E/ 32.983°N 35.400°E/32.983; 35.400
Part ofIsrael
Native name
  • הגליל העליון(Hebrew)
  • الجليل الأعلى(Arabic)
Highest elevation1,208 m (3,963 ft)
(Mount Meron)
Map of the Galilee region

The Upper Galilee is known for its natural beauty, including lush landscapes,Mediterranean forests,and scenic vistas. Significant natural sites includeNahal Amudand theKeshet Cave.It's also an area where vineyards and wineries thrive, producing quality wines.Mount Meronstands as the highest point in the area, reaching an elevation of 1,208 meters above sea level.Safedis a main city in the region and also hosts anartists' quarterthat was a major center ofIsraeli art.[1][2]

Although historical definitions encompass parts of southern Lebanon within the boundaries of the Upper Galilee, the Lebanese government does not use the term "Galilee" for any part of its territory.

Boundaries

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Originally, the term "Upper Galilee" referred to a larger region, encompassing the mountainous regions of what is today northern Israel andsouthern Lebanon.The boundaries of this region were theLitani Riverin the north, theMediterranean Seain the west, theLower Galileein the south (from which it is separated by theBeit HaKerem Valley), and the upperJordan Riverand theHula Valleyin the east.[3]

According to the first century Jewish historianJosephus,the bounds of Upper Galilee stretched fromBersabein the Beit HaKerem Valley toBaca(Peki'in) in the north, and from Meloth toThella.[4]The extent of this region is approximately 470 km2.[5]

In present-day usage, thetoponymmainly refers only to the northern part of theGalileethat is under Israeli sovereignty. That is, the term today does not include the portion ofSouthern Lebanonup to the Litani River, or the corresponding stretches of theIsraeli Coastal Plainto the west, or theJordan Rift Valleyto the east. These are considered to be separate geographical areas that are not part of “Upper Galilee.”[citation needed]

History

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See also:Galilee § history

Ancient times

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The Upper Galilee is home to numerous significantancient synagogues,dating fromRomanandByzantinetimes. Those include the synagogues ofBar'am,[6]Nabratein,[7]Gush Halav,[8]Huqoq,[9]Chorazin,[10]Meron[11]and a few others. Remains of synagogues has also been found inQision[12]andAlma.[13]

Modern period

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Ain Ebelin the Lebanese Upper Galilee

Following the dissolution of theOttoman Empireand theBalfour Declarationin which theBritish Empirepromised to create "A Jewish National Home" in Palestine, theZionistMovement presented to theVersailles Peace Conferencea document calling for including in theBritish Mandate of Palestinethe entire territory up to theLitani river— with a view to this becoming eventually part of a future Jewish state.

However, only less than half this area was actually included in British Mandatory Palestine, the final border being influenced both by diplomatic maneuverings and struggles between Britain and France and by fighting on the ground, especially the March 1920 battle ofTel Hai.

For a considerable time after the border was defined so to make the northern portion of the territory concerned part of the French mandated territory that became Lebanon, many Zionist geographers — and Israeli geographers in the state's early years — continued to speak of "The Upper Galilee" as being "the northern sub-area of theGalileeregion ofIsraelandLebanon".

Under this definition, "The Upper Galilee" covers an area spreading over 1,500 km2,about 700 in Israel and the rest in Lebanon. This included the highland region ofBelad BecharainJabal Amellocated inSouth Lebanon,[14]which was at for some time known in Hebrew as "The Lebanese Galilee".[3]As defined in geographical terms, "it is separated from theLower Galileeby the Beit HaKerem valley; its mountains are taller and valleys are deeper than those in theLower Galilee;its tallest peak isHar Meronat 1,208 m abovesea level.Safedis one of the major cities in this region ".

In recent decades, however, this usage has virtually disappeared from the general Israeli discourse, the term "Upper Galilee" being used solely in reference to the part located in Israel.

A panoramic view taken frommount Ariin the Upper Galilee towards the Lower Galilee

In art

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See also:Artists Quarter of Safed

The Upper Galilee region, specifically the city ofSafedwas a centre of Israeli and Jewish art since 1920 when theSchool of Parispainter,Yitzhak Frenkelvisited the region and was the first to settle in Safed where he later established an art school.[15][16]In Safed was established theArtists' quarter of Safed.Safed harbored mysticism and was reminiscent of picturesque villages, which drew artists such as Frenkel,Marc Chagall,Moshe Castel,Mordechai Levanonand others.[15][17][18]Artists were drawn to the upper galilee due to its mountainous landscapes and "mysticsm". Prior to the air conditioner, Safed also attracted artists due to its climatic conditions which were more comfortable than Tel Aviv during the summer.[2]Safed also offered different themes for the artists, from the Klezmer musicians to the Hasidim and the city itself.[17][19]Mount Meronwas also an object in artworks by Jewish artists with artists such as Frenkel andRolly Schafferpainting serene or fiery scenes of sunset over the mountain.[17]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^Hecht Museum (2013).After the School Of Paris(in English and Hebrew). Israel.ISBN9789655350272.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^abOfrat, Gideon (1987).The Golden Age of Painting in Safed(in Hebrew). Tel Aviv: Sifriat HaPoalim.
  3. ^abVilnai, Ze'ev (1976). "Upper Galilee".Ariel Encyclopedia(in Hebrew). Vol. 2. Israel: Am Oved. pp. 1364–67.
  4. ^M. Aviam & P. Richardson, "Josephus' Galilee in Archaeological Perspective", published in:Mason, Steve,ed. (2001).Life of Josephus.Flavius Josephus: Translation and Commentary. Vol. 9. BRILL. pp. 179;182.ISBN9004117938.;Josephus,De Bello Judaico(Wars of the Jews) II, 577; III, 46 (Wars of the Jews3.3.1)
  5. ^Eric M. Meyers, "Galilean Regionalism as a Factor in Historical Reconstruction," in:Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research(No. 221, 1976), p. 95
  6. ^Aviam, Mordechai (2001-01-01), Avery-Peck, Alan; Neusner, Jacob (eds.),"THE ANCIENT SYNAGOGUES AT BARʿAM",Judaism in Late Antiquity 3. Where we Stand: Issues and Debates in Ancient Judaism,BRILL, pp. 155–177,doi:10.1163/9789004294172_008,ISBN978-90-04-29417-2,retrieved2023-09-02
  7. ^Eric M. MeyersandCarol Meyers,"Excavations at Ancient Nabratein: Synagogue and Environs," Meiron Excavation Project Reports - MEPR 6, Eisenbrauns, 2009.
  8. ^Hachlili, Rachel (2013)."Dating of the Upper Galilee Synagogues".Ancient Synagogues - Archaeology and Art: New Discoveries and Current Research.Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1, Ancient Near East; vol. 105 = Handbuch der Orientalistik. BRILL. pp. 586, 588.ISBN978-90-04-25772-6.Retrieved8 April2020.
  9. ^Remains of Roman Period Synagogue Discovered in Galilee, July 2, 2012, Science News
  10. ^Avraham Negev; Shimon Gibson (July 2005).Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land.Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 118.ISBN978-0-8264-8571-7.Retrieved15 May2011.
  11. ^Urman, Dan; Flesher, Paul V.M., eds. (1998)."Ancient Synagogues (2 vols)".Brill:62–63.doi:10.1163/9789004511323.ISBN978-90-04-11254-4.
  12. ^Avi-Yonah, Michael (1976)."Gazetteer of Roman Palestine".Qedem.5:89.ISSN0333-5844.JSTOR43587090.
  13. ^"XXIII. ʿAlma",Volume 5/Part 1 Galilaea and Northern Regions: 5876-6924,De Gruyter, pp. 146–149, 2023-03-20,doi:10.1515/9783110715774-031,ISBN978-3-11-071577-4,retrieved2024-02-23
  14. ^Salibi, Kamal S. (1988).A House of Many Mansions: The History of Lebanon Reconsidered.London: I.B. Tauris. p. 4.ISBN1-85043-091-8.
  15. ^abארי, מיכל בן (2009-03-02)."שיר שחלמתי על צפת".Ynet(in Hebrew).Retrieved2024-10-09.
  16. ^Barzel, Amnon (1974).Frenel Isaac Alexandre.Israel: Masada. p. 16.
  17. ^abcOfrat, Gideon.The Art and Artists of Safed(in Hebrew). pp. 89–90.
  18. ^"FRENKEL FRENEL MUSEUM".frenkel-frenel.org.Retrieved9 August2019.
  19. ^Hecht Museum (2013).After the School Of Paris(in English and Hebrew). Israel.ISBN9789655350272.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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