Mount Gilboa is considered as one of the Galilee’s most scenic regions, and forms part of the lower Galilee’s eastern gateway between the Jezreel Valley, Israel’s breadbasket, and the Jordan Valley. This 500-meter-high ridge is the site where King Saul and his sons, Jonathan, Abinadav and Malkishua died after a battle with the Philisitines (1 Sam. 31:2-7). This moving story is commemorated by the names of some of the communities and peaks along this 18-kilometer-long mountainous stretch.
From Mount Gilboa visitors can view Mount Moreh (Judges 7:1), where Gideon’s army assembled; Tel Jezreel, home of Ahab and Jezebel; and the national parks of Ein Harod, where Gideon chose his soldiers (Judges 7:4); Beit Alpha, with its ancient synagogue mosaic and Bet Shean, one of the country’s most significant biblical tels, whose Roman-Byzantine ruins are a highlight.
