Rosh HaNikra or Hanikra (Hebrew: ראש הנקרה, lit. "Head of the Grotto"; Arabic: رأس الناقورة, Ras an-Nakura) is a geologic formation on the border between Israel and Lebanon, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Western Galilee. It is a white chalk cliff face which opens up into spectacular grottos.
Rosh Hanikra grottoes
The Rosh HaNikra grottoes are cavernous tunnels formed by sea action on the soft chalk rock. The total length of the tunnels is some 200 meters. They branch off in various directions with some interconnecting segments. A tunnel was built by the British for the Haifa-Beirut railroad line, and in 1968 a second one was dug, both connecting the grottoes with each other and allowing access (currently: only exit) along the former route of the British railroad. For many years though, the only access to the grottoes was from the sea and the native swimmers and divers were the only ones capable of visiting. The 400 meters long tunnel dug in 1968 between the grottoes and slightly above sea level allowed easier access, and soon after a cable car was built to take visitors down from the top of the cliff to the tunnels.[1][2] With a 60-degree gradient, this cable car is advertised as the steepest in the world.
A kibbutz, also named Rosh HaNikra, is located nearby. The Israeli city Nahariya is located about 10 km (6 miles) south of Rosh HaNikra.
Recognition of the potential offered by the unusual Rosh Hanikra grottoes led to the development of this beautiful site as a tourist attraction for Northern Israel. The project was spearheaded by Bawer Mizna as Mayor of one of the kibbutzim as well as an Arab town. He and his wife, Miriam, were among the original settlers of the area and of the nearby kibbutz, Matzuvah.
In the First Book of Maccabees (1 Macc 11:59), a cape in this region is referred to as the "Ladder of Tyre" (Hebrew: סולם צור; Greek: Η κλίμαξ Τύρου); the author could have meant either the cliffs at Rosh HaNikra, or one of two other capes jutting out into the sea slightly north or south of them.[5][6][7] The site was later named an-Nawakir ("The Grottoes") by the Arabs.[citation needed]
WWII and after: railway and conflicts
The Paulet–Newcombe Agreement showing Ras en-Nakura as the far left point on the boundary between Palestine and Syria.
Rosh HaNikra has served as a passage point for trade caravans and armies between Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Egypt, and Africa.[citation needed] In 1942, during World War II, after the Allied capture of Vichy-ruled Lebanon, the Haifa-Acre extension of the Hijaz Railway was further expanded into Lebanon for military purposes, which also entailed quarrying the tunnels at Ras el-Nakurah.[8] This allowed for a railway connection between Haifa and the cities of Cairo to the south and Beirut to the north, the latter already being connected to Turkey and Iraq, or to Damascus and then via the Hijaz line to Amman.[8] It was the South African contingent who blasted the tunnels.[citation needed]
The railway bridge at Rosh HaNikra was spared by the Haganah during the 1946 Night of the Bridges operation but, following a late-1947 British announcement that it would withdraw from Palestine months ahead of schedule, the bridge was destroyed by the 21st Battalion[9] under the Palmach[10] in late February 1948[9] to hinder Lebanese arms shipments to Arab forces opposing the UN Partition Plan. As repairs were prohibitively expensive, the tunnels were later completely sealed.[citation needed] The Lebanese railways have been largely dismantled while the Coastal Railway in Israel currently ends near Nahariya, several kilometers to the south.[citation needed]
The area around Rosh HaNikra includes a number of nature reserves:[11]
The Rosh HaNikra islands - 311 dunams declared in 1965
The Rosh HaNikra reserve - 500 dunams declared in 1969, and an additional 765 dunams in 1996.
Rosh HaNikra beach - 230 dunams, declared in 2003
The Rosh HaNikra national park also has jurisdiction of 220 dunams in the area.
View of Israel looking south from Rosh HaNikra
Cable car
Doppelmayr Cable-car in Rosh Hanikra, claimed to be the steepest cable car in the world, with a gradient of 60°
The Rosh HaNikra cable car is a cable car serving tourists wishing to visit the grottoes. The cable car is situated very close to the Lebanese border. The site is popular with tourists, and is one of the facilities available for tourists in KibbutzRosh HaNikra. The cable car was manufactured by Austrian manufacturer Doppelmayr Garaventa Group, and claims to be the steepest cable car in the world, ascending at a gradient of 60 degrees.[citation needed] Although its lower base station is located on the sea, the cable car is occasionally affected by stormy weather. The Israeli Sign Language sign for Rosh HaNikra derives from this cable car, as it emulates its motion.[12]
^Tadmor, Miriam: article "Rosh Ha-Niqra, Tel", in: Stern, Ephraim: The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, Vol 4, Jerusalem 1993 (English), pp. 1288-1289
^International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Ladder of Tyre
^BibleGateway.com, Ladder of Tyre, based on Baly, Denis (1957). The Geography of the Bible, pp. 8, 39, 128; Aharoni, Yohanan (1967). The Land of the Bible, tr. Rainey, Anson F., pp. 21, 171.
^ ab"The history of Israel Railways: 1942 - Completion of the Military Line of Haifa-Beirut-Tripoli". Israel Railways. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
^(PDF) (in Hebrew). Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
^Lanesman, Sarah (27 October 2017). "שרה לנסמן - שפת סימנים ישראלית ערים ומקומות בישראל!". YouTube (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
Gallery
External links
Rosh HaNikra Official Site- Hebrew
Rosh HaNikra Official Site- English
Gold, Stephanie (1998), Israel Guide, Open Road Publishing.
Milstein, Uri; et al. (1998), Out of Crisis Came Decision, History of the War of Independence, Vol. IV, University Press of America, ISBN9780761814894.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rosh Hanikra.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Rosh Haniqra.
Photos of Rosh haNikra
January 05, 2023
rosh, hanikra, grottoes, coordinates, 0931222, 1047667, 0931222, 1047667, rosh, hanikra, hanikra, hebrew, ראש, הנקרה, head, grotto, arabic, رأس, الناقورة, nakura, geologic, formation, border, between, israel, lebanon, located, coast, mediterranean, western, ga. Coordinates 33 5 35 24 N 35 6 17 16 E 33 0931222 N 35 1047667 E 33 0931222 35 1047667 Rosh HaNikra or Hanikra Hebrew ראש הנקרה lit Head of the Grotto Arabic رأس الناقورة Ras an Nakura is a geologic formation on the border between Israel and Lebanon located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the Western Galilee It is a white chalk cliff face which opens up into spectacular grottos Rosh Hanikra grottoes The Rosh HaNikra grottoes are cavernous tunnels formed by sea action on the soft chalk rock The total length of the tunnels is some 200 meters They branch off in various directions with some interconnecting segments A tunnel was built by the British for the Haifa Beirut railroad line and in 1968 a second one was dug both connecting the grottoes with each other and allowing access currently only exit along the former route of the British railroad For many years though the only access to the grottoes was from the sea and the native swimmers and divers were the only ones capable of visiting The 400 meters long tunnel dug in 1968 between the grottoes and slightly above sea level allowed easier access and soon after a cable car was built to take visitors down from the top of the cliff to the tunnels 1 2 With a 60 degree gradient this cable car is advertised as the steepest in the world A kibbutz also named Rosh HaNikra is located nearby The Israeli city Nahariya is located about 10 km 6 miles south of Rosh HaNikra Recognition of the potential offered by the unusual Rosh Hanikra grottoes led to the development of this beautiful site as a tourist attraction for Northern Israel The project was spearheaded by Bawer Mizna as Mayor of one of the kibbutzim as well as an Arab town He and his wife Miriam were among the original settlers of the area and of the nearby kibbutz Matzuvah Contents 1 History 1 1 Hebrew Bible to Roman period 1 2 WWII and after railway and conflicts 2 Nature reserves and national park 3 Cable car 4 See also 5 References 6 Gallery 7 External linksHistory Edit The former British Cairo Istanbul railway tunnel photographed in 1964 Hebrew Bible to Roman period Edit The Book of Joshua mentions Misraphot Mayim as a place south of Rosh HaNikra that was the border of the Israelite tribes of the time 3 In the First Book of the Maccabees the Ladder of Tyre is referred to as the northern border of the territory under the governorship of Simon Maccabaeus in 144 BCE 1 Maccabees 11 59 Josephus Flavius also describes Rosh Hanikra as the northern border of the city of Acre Israel The Jewish War 2 10 2 The archaeological tell 4 is today situated within the kibbutz In the First Book of Maccabees 1 Macc 11 59 a cape in this region is referred to as the Ladder of Tyre Hebrew סולם צור Greek H klima3 Tyroy the author could have meant either the cliffs at Rosh HaNikra or one of two other capes jutting out into the sea slightly north or south of them 5 6 7 The site was later named an Nawakir The Grottoes by the Arabs citation needed WWII and after railway and conflicts Edit The Paulet Newcombe Agreement showing Ras en Nakura as the far left point on the boundary between Palestine and Syria Rosh HaNikra has served as a passage point for trade caravans and armies between Lebanon Syria Israel Egypt and Africa citation needed In 1942 during World War II after the Allied capture of Vichy ruled Lebanon the Haifa Acre extension of the Hijaz Railway was further expanded into Lebanon for military purposes which also entailed quarrying the tunnels at Ras el Nakurah 8 This allowed for a railway connection between Haifa and the cities of Cairo to the south and Beirut to the north the latter already being connected to Turkey and Iraq or to Damascus and then via the Hijaz line to Amman 8 It was the South African contingent who blasted the tunnels citation needed The railway bridge at Rosh HaNikra was spared by the Haganah during the 1946 Night of the Bridges operation but following a late 1947 British announcement that it would withdraw from Palestine months ahead of schedule the bridge was destroyed by the 21st Battalion 9 under the Palmach 10 in late February 1948 9 to hinder Lebanese arms shipments to Arab forces opposing the UN Partition Plan As repairs were prohibitively expensive the tunnels were later completely sealed citation needed The Lebanese railways have been largely dismantled while the Coastal Railway in Israel currently ends near Nahariya several kilometers to the south citation needed Rosh Hanikra was the location where Israeli and Lebanese officials negotiated and concluded an armistice agreement in 1949 which ended the Lebanese Israeli component of the 1948 War of Israeli Independence citation needed A border passage across the Blue Line into Lebanon at the site is sometimes used by UNIFIL personnel citation needed Nature reserves and national park EditThe area around Rosh HaNikra includes a number of nature reserves 11 The Rosh HaNikra islands 311 dunams declared in 1965 The Rosh HaNikra reserve 500 dunams declared in 1969 and an additional 765 dunams in 1996 Rosh HaNikra beach 230 dunams declared in 2003The Rosh HaNikra national park also has jurisdiction of 220 dunams in the area View of Israel looking south from Rosh HaNikraCable car Edit Doppelmayr Cable car in Rosh Hanikra claimed to be the steepest cable car in the world with a gradient of 60 The Rosh HaNikra cable car is a cable car serving tourists wishing to visit the grottoes The cable car is situated very close to the Lebanese border The site is popular with tourists and is one of the facilities available for tourists in Kibbutz Rosh HaNikra The cable car was manufactured by Austrian manufacturer Doppelmayr Garaventa Group and claims to be the steepest cable car in the world ascending at a gradient of 60 degrees citation needed Although its lower base station is located on the sea the cable car is occasionally affected by stormy weather The Israeli Sign Language sign for Rosh HaNikra derives from this cable car as it emulates its motion 12 See also EditGeography of Israel Tourism in Israel Hiking in IsraelReferences Edit Jewish Virtual Library Rosh Hanikra Israel Rosh Hanikra Grotto and Cable Car Brochure 1970s Josh 13 6 also Josh 11 8 Tadmor Miriam article Rosh Ha Niqra Tel in Stern Ephraim The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land Vol 4 Jerusalem 1993 English pp 1288 1289 International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia Ladder of Tyre Rosh HaNikra official website BibleGateway com Ladder of Tyre based on Baly Denis 1957 The Geography of the Bible pp 8 39 128 Aharoni Yohanan 1967 The Land of the Bible tr Rainey Anson F pp 21 171 a b The history of Israel Railways 1942 Completion of the Military Line of Haifa Beirut Tripoli Israel Railways Retrieved 19 July 2022 a b Milstein et al 1998 p 87 Gold 1998 p 254 List of National Parks and Nature Reserves PDF in Hebrew Israel Nature and Parks Authority Archived from the original PDF on 2009 10 07 Retrieved 2010 10 05 Lanesman Sarah 27 October 2017 שרה לנסמן שפת סימנים ישראלית ערים ומקומות בישראל YouTube in Hebrew Archived from the original on 2021 12 21 Retrieved 11 August 2021 Gallery Edit External links EditRosh HaNikra Official Site Hebrew Rosh HaNikra Official Site English Gold Stephanie 1998 Israel Guide Open Road Publishing Milstein Uri et al 1998 Out of Crisis Came Decision History of the War of Independence Vol IV University Press of America ISBN 9780761814894 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rosh Hanikra Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Rosh Haniqra Photos of Rosh haNikra Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rosh HaNikra grottoes amp oldid 1099541033, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
