The Muhraka Monastery

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.