Jerusalem Hills

The Jerusalem hills (Hebrew: הרי ירושלים) is a mountainous region in central Israel which includes the western part of Jerusalem.

Understand
The Jerusalem hills region is in the much broader Judean Mountains region that extends into the West Bank area - this region was captured by the Jewish fighters during the 1948 Israeli-Arab War (it was had been designated by the UN to become partly part of a future Palestinian-Arab state and partly an internationally-controlled area).

The average height of the Jerusalem Hills is about 650 m above sea level.

Talk
Hebrew. In some Arab villages you can speak Arabic. English is widely understood.

Cities and villages

 * - Israel's capital and most populous city, which is one of the oldest cities in the world. The city contains the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Old City. The city is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
 * - a town overlooking Highway 1 (the principal route connecting Jerusalem to Tel Aviv) which is the second largest town in the Jerusalem hills region. The Castel Mountain located in the center of the town, and the routes along it, were the focus of major battles in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
 * - An Israeli-Arab village located on Route 1 which is mainly known for its many successful restaurants.

By car
It is easy to drive here, as the main road is Route 1, which connects Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.

By bus
The region is also served by bus routes running from Jerusalem.

By train
The existing Tel Aviv Jerusalem line while passing through stunning landscapes dates to the 19th century and is rather slow. A new line via Ben Gurion Airport is already partially open from Tel Aviv to the airport but had not reached Jerusalem as of 2017. It is planned to open a new station in Jerusalem once the line is fully built.

Get around


Highway 1 is an east-west highway the goes through the Jerusalem hills regions and is the main highway connecting Tel Aviv with Jerusalem. The road begins in Tel Aviv (at the Kibbutz Galuyot Interchange) on the west coast of Israel and ends in the east at the Jordan Valley (at the Beit HaArava Junction). It is 94 km long.

Historic and religious sites
In addition to the following sites, Abu Ghosh contains some notable churches and mosques. And of course Jerusalem is one of the most important historic and religious cities in the world.

Eat


Abu Ghosh is famous for its food, particularly its hummus (chickpea paste). One of the restaurants in Abu Ghosh held a Guinness record for largest hummus dish, weighing 4 tons. See the Abu Ghosh article for details on restaurants there.

Sleep
See Jerusalem and Abu Ghosh articles for additional listings.



Go next

 * The Shfela
 * The Dead Sea valley