Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel, also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias, is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. A number of towns are situated there, most notably the city of Haifa, Israel's third largest city, located on the northern and western slopes. Etymology The word karmel has been interpreted to mean: "garden-land" (of uncertain origin); "vineyard of God", as a compound of kerem and el; or a clipping of kar male, meaning "full kernel." Martin Jan Mulder suggested a third etymology, that of kerem + l with the lamed a sufformative, but this is considered unlikely as evidence for the existence of a lamed sufformative is weak. Geography and geology The phrase "Mount Carmel" has been used in three distinct ways, referring to either one of the following three areas: The long mountain range all the way to Jenin, including the Manasseh Hill Country and the heights southeast of it. The northwestern of the mountain range. The headland at the northwestern end of the range. The Carmel range is approximately wide, sloping gradually towards the southwest, but forming a steep ridge on the northeastern face, high. The Jezreel Valley lies to the immediate northeast. The range forms a natural barrier in the landscape, just as the Jezreel Valley forms a natural passageway, and consequently the mountain range and the valley have had a large impact on migration and invasions through the Levant over time.