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In shorcut...
A tour which starts with a wonderful lookout from the Muhraka monastery, a Carmelite monastery located at the top of the highest peak of the Carmel ridge, and continues to various other fascinating sites in the Druze towns of Daliyat al-Carmel and Ussefiya.
Itinerary properties: ● Families ● Blossom tours ● City trip ● Non-circular tour
Story through
The Muhraka Monastery is a Carmelite monastery which is situated at the top of the highest peak of the Carmel mountain range. The Order of the Carmelites is a Catholic religious order which was founded on Mount Carmel, the traditional home of the Prophet Elijah, at the time of the Crusades. As the Prophet Elijah is the Carmelites’ venerated saint and great patron, a statue of him holding a sword adorns the well-kept monastery courtyard. The meaning of this monastery’s name, Muhraka, in Arabic is "place of burning", as according to the Bible, in this place a fire came down from the sky to burn the sacrifice offered by the Prophet Elijah at the time of his battle with the prophets of Ba’al. The views seen from the monastery’s roof are breathtaking and on a clear day one can even see the snowcapped Mount Hermon from here.
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More Details it is recommended to verify the opening hours and entrance requirements with the site itself
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Opening hours:
September – April:
Monday – Saturday: 8 am -12 pm, 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
May – November:
Monday – Saturday: 8 am -12 pm, 2:30 pm – 5 pm
Sunday: Closed
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Every Saturday many visitors come to Daliyat al-Carmel, which is one of the largest and most colorful and popular in the north of Israel. Here, on both sides of Daliyat al-Carmel’s main street (which is actually road number 672), stands and stores offer an abundance of finds of every type, color and shape: clothes and shoes, toys, house ware, souvenirs, musical instruments, sewing supplies, various authentic items, copperware, baskets, carpets and a lot of posters and framed reproductions. And among all these stores are found small places one can eat in, oriental restaurants and delicatessens with lovely sweet aromas. The Daliyat al-Carmel Market is indeed open throughout the week but it is the most active on Saturdays.
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Opening hours of The Daliyat al-Carmel Market:
Sunday - Saturday: 9 am - 6 pm (summertime untill 8 pm)
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In the western part of the Druze village of Daliat El-Carmel is Maqam Abu Ibrahim, a beautiful stone structure with a red dome. The Maqam (a sacred place) was built in memory of Abu Ibrahim, one of the five prophets holy to the Druze. The Druze believe that Abu Ibrahim is a reincarnation of the Jewish Prophet Elijah. According to a legend, at the end of the 19th century, when Daliat El-Carmel was a small agricultural village, robbers tried to steal grain from the granary. The residents of the village managed to stop them but as revenge the robbers came back with many other people to attack them the next day. The residents of the village defended themselves in the Maqam Abu Ibrahim’s courtyard when all of a sudden a rider on a red horse appeared and hit the attackers with his flaming sword. The attackers ran away and never came back. The Maqam Abu Ibrahim was built on top of a burial cave from the Roman-Byzantine period. The cave’s floor is paved, along its walls are built benches and it includes a niche for lighting candles. On their wedding day, brides pass by the Maqam Abu Ibrahim in order to receive a blessing. This is the second holiest place for the Druze after the Tomb of the prophet Jethro.
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The Druze village of Ussefiya (or Isfiya), with its magnificent tradition, is situated among green hills and a beautiful landscape. In the village of Ussefiya, the authentic Druze character and traditional way of life is kept and visitors are invited to be guests in a Druze home, taste from the traditional cuisine and enjoy a special folklore show of music, singing and dancing. Here one can walk around and wander among the picturesque alleys, visit the old quarter or the vibrant market- which is filled with all kinds of goods and with numerous colorful stores- and enjoy a festival of smells and colors.
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The three stories structure of the Maqam Abu Abdullah with its yellow dome is located in the Druze village of Ussefiya. The Maqam (a sacred place), which is decorated with the five colors flags of the Druze, was built in the memory of Muhammad bin Wahab al-Qoraishi, who was one of the founders of the Druze religion. The Druze believe that during his life time, Muhammad bin Wahab al-Qoraishi also stayed in Ussefiya. Maqam Abu Abdullah is located near a small grove of ancient oak trees, from which, according to the Druze faith, light emanated day and night as a symbol of this place’s holiness. The Maqam Abu Abdullah’s yellow dome symbolizes the color of Abu Abdullah, who is the Prophet third in importance to the Druze. The Maqam Abu Abdullah itself contains a room with a gravestone that is covered with a yellow fabric and a room for religion studies. In front of the Maqam Abu Abdullah there is a courtyard with an ancient well which serves for picnics. On the eleventh of November a traditional pilgrimage takes place here.
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The Ussefiya Military Cemetery is the main Military Cemetery for the Druze soldiers who have fallen during their military service in the Israel Defense Force and here are held the annual memorial ceremonies. Right next to the Ussefiya Military Cemetery is Ussefiya’s Civilian Cemetery, where one can learn about the burial habits of the Druze. Where the Military Cemetery is a fine looking and well-kept cemetery that is run by the State of Israel, the Civilian Cemetery is simple and modest and far from what we know as a cemetery. According to the Druze belief, there is no importance to the body but only to the soul. Thus the Civilian Cemetery has no headstones. The departed are buried in simple board coffins inside niches, without the departed’s name even being mentioned and with only the date of death etched. The coffins and the remains crumble within ten years into a repository which is located under those niches. The Druze do not hold memorials but for the IDF fallen soldiers.
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On the top of Mount Carmel, were the Druze village of Ussefiya is located today, was in the Roman-Byzantine period the Jewish town of Husifah. The name of this Jewish town was discovered in the beautiful mosaic floor of a synagogue which was revealed on the edge of the ancient quarter near the "helwa"- the house of prayer- of the Druze Mansur family. The mosaic floor itself, which depicts the zodiac, was transferred in whole to the Israel Museum and only a small sample of it was left here, which one can barely see between the geranium bushes which surround it. The representation of this mosaic was features on the 1970s note of the Israeli Lira and it is also found at the center of the symbol of the village of Ussefiya.
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More Details it is recommended to verify the opening hours and entrance requirements with the site itself
Haifa Tour Routes and Entertainment Ideas
Best Season: All Seasons
Type of Tour: Independent
Tour Mode: Hike
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Tour Duration: About- 4 Hours
Difficulty Level: Easy
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Best Season: All Seasons
Type of Tour: Independent
Tour Mode: Hike
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Tour Duration: About- 3 Hours
Difficulty Level: Easy
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Colony Hotel Haifa
Boutique Hotels
Marom HaCarmel Ussefiya Village
Family Zimmers
Eruach BeDalia Daliyat al-Carmel
Family Zimmers
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