Rosh HaNikra

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Rosh HaNikra
Basic data
hebrew : ראש הנקרה
arabic : رأس الناقورة
State : IsraelIsrael Israel
District : North
Founded : January 6, 1949
Coordinates : 33 ° 6 '  N , 35 ° 6'  E Coordinates: 33 ° 5 '34 "  N , 35 ° 6' 16"  E
Height : 33  m
 
Residents : 5,127
Time zone : UTC + 2
 
Website :
Rosh HaNikra (Israel)
Rosh HaNikra
Rosh HaNikra

Rosh HaNikra ( Hebrew רֹאשׁ הַנִּקְרָה Rosch ha-Niqrah , German 'head of the rock cave' ; Arabic رأس الناقورة Raʾs an-Nāqūra ) is a place on the Mediterranean Sea near Naharija in northern Israel , right on the Lebanese border.

Limestone cliffs of Rosh HaNikra
Grotto under the rocks in Rosh HaNikra
Sea view from Rosh HaNikra

history

A place called Misrephoth-Maim (Joshua 11.8; 13.6) in the Bible has been located at this point since the early Bronze Age. The archaeological site (Tel) is now in the area of ​​the kibbutz Rosh HaNikra (see below). Documents and drawings indicate that as early as 332 BC On the orders of Alexander the Great, a first tunnel was dug through the rock to provide a passage for his troops on their way back from the Phoenician city ​​of Tire .

At the time of the British Mandate for Palestine , a first paved road was built through the rock. Border posts and a customs office were also installed. During the Second World War, the British drove a 250 m long tunnel for the Haifa – Beirut – Tripoli railway line through the rocks in order to send war material north from Egypt . During the war for Israel's independence in 1948, the railway bridges were blown up by the Israeli Palmach in the grottoes to prevent a Lebanese invasion through the tunnel.

Because of the border, a wall separates the tunnel into an approximately 200 m long Israeli part and an approximately 50 m long Lebanese part.

In an attack by terrorists on an Israeli bus near Rosh HaNikra on March 12, 2002, six Israelis were killed and at least seven others were injured. The victims are Yehudit Cohen 33, Lynne Livneh 49, and their 17-year-old daughter Atara, Ofer Kenrick 44, German Rozhkov 25 and Alexei Kotman 29

Kibbutz

The kibbutz (Kfar) Rosh HaNikra has existed near the rocks since 1949 , and it has an essential industry in tourism; the kibbutz was significantly involved in the development of the caves and operates the tourist facilities.

Sightseeing

Rosh HaNikra is known for its white limestone cliffs, which are often visited by tourists. At the foot of the rocks, the Mediterranean has washed away grottos and caves, which were also made accessible with the Rosh HaNikra cable car . A footpath leads over a total of 400 m through the grottoes, which are connected to each other by a 200 m tunnel.

Individual evidence

  1. Miriam Tadmor: Article Rosh Ha-Niqra, Tel . In: Ephraim Stern (ed.): The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land , Vol. 4: Petra - Ziqim . The Israel Exploration Society, Jerusalem 1993, ISBN 965-220-209-6 , pp. 1288-1289.
  2. ^ Assassination on the Lebanese border - 6 Israelis killed. In: Israelnetz .de. March 13, 2002, accessed August 4, 2019 .
  3. NAMES OF THE SIX ISRAELIS MURDERED YESTERDAY IN NORTHERN ISRAEL. In: Israeli Embassy in Berlin . March 13, 2002, accessed August 9, 2019 .

Web links

Commons : Rosh HaNikra  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

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