Jezreel Valley

The Jezreel Valley is an extensive inland valley, largely rural in northern Israel.

Cities, towns and moshavims

 * – Not very interesting in and of itself, but it is the largest modern settlement in the Jezreel Valley (current population 45,000).
 * – One of the original kibbutzim still not privatized, this kibbutz founded by settlers from Poland and Russia is popular among travellers for short and long-term volunteering
 * – A town on the northwestern border of the region
 * – One of the oldest moshavim of Israel and popular for its specific layout (to give all inhabitants an equally sized part of land, a community building was built in the middle and around it the land was split up like a round cake)
 * – South of Kiryat Tiv'on and on the way into the Carmel Range

Understand
The Jezreel Valley lies between the Carmel Range and the coastal plain to the west and Beit She'an Valley to the east. It stretches from the mountains of the Lower Galilee in the north to the Shomron mountains in the south.

The Jezreel Valley is the only place where the Holy Land can be crossed without travelling through mountainous areas. As a result, in ancient times the Jezreel Valley was an important trade route, and various important battles between Middle Eastern powers took place in this region. One of the most important battles occurring here was the Battle of Ain ​​Jalut (1260), held where the modern village of Ein Harod is, in which the Muslim Mamluk forces defeated the forces of the Mongol Empire, and stopped them from advancing further westward.

The Christian "Armageddon" refers to the city of Meggido in the valley. According to the New Testament (Book of Revelation), a great battle will be held in the future at the Jezreel Valley between a number of armies that will herald the end of the world and the Second Coming of Jesus.

By bus
There are several bus lines that pass through the Jezreel Valley, originating from Haifa and Tel Aviv, all passing through the central bus station in Afula, and many of them continue northwards to Tiberias and various other cities in the Lower Galilee and Upper Galilee. Local buses to smaller towns, villages, or sites can be very infrequent, so check the schedule in advance online or at the Afula central bus station information centre.

By train
The Jezreel Valley railway line runs the length of the valley, from Haifa to Beit Shean with stops in Yokneam-Kfar Yehoshua, Migdal Haemek-Kfar Baruch, and Afula. Trains are hourly. Unfortunately, the stops tend to be in remote locations outside cities. The Jezreel Valley line had been abandoned in the 1940s only to be rebuilt in the 2010s as part of a major resurgence of rail transport in Israel. While the old line was built to a narrow gauge, the new line is standard gauge.

Get around
The main roads in the Jezreel Valley go through Afula, so you will probably have to go there.

See




Do
The valley is pretty quiet. Most dos are in and around Afula, and generally driving from one sight to the other.

Sleep
Try the big reservation websites or Afula.

Go next

 * Nazareth in the Lower Galilee – The largest Arab city in Israel and best known as the home of Joseph and Mary.
 * Carmel Range, Sea of Galilee region and Golan Heights are close-by and worth a visit.
 * Tiberias – A large Israeli town northeast and great starting point for Galilee and Golan.
 * Caesarea – Archaeological site, formerly one of the largest ports in the eastern Mediterranean.
 * Jenin in the West Bank – Its name's meaning is The spring of gardens. And further south, Nablus, one of the oldest cities in the world and famous for its kunafa/kenafeh.