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36-466: The Upper Galilee is known for its natural beauty, including lush landscapes, Mediterranean forests , and scenic vistas. Significant natural sites include Nahal Amud and the Keshet Cave . It's also an area where vineyards and wineries thrive, producing quality wines. Mount Meron stands as the highest point in the area, reaching an elevation of 1,208 meters above sea level. Safed is a main city in

72-635: A Shiite presence at Jabal Amil by the 10th century, with the arrival of Shia-oriented Yemeni tribes like the Amilah . However, local traditions claim an even earlier conversion to Twelver Shi'ism by a companion of the Prophet Muhammad , Abu Dharr al-Ghifari . Despite claims of being the earliest Shi'ite center, evidence points to Hillah in Iraq as a prominent center of religious learning for early Amili scholars (12th-14th centuries). It wasn't until

108-528: A district in the Safad Province characterized by its abundant vineyards and olive, carob and terebinth groves, and populated by Twelver Shia Muslims . He also notes the neighboring highland districts of Jabal Jaba , Jabal Jazin and Jabal Tibnin whose inhabitants were also Twelver Shia and whose lands contained considerable springs, vineyards, and fruit groves. The ruler of Hama and scholar Abu'l-Fida (d. 1341) noted that Jabal Amila "runs down

144-571: A large role in shaping the ecology of Mediterranean ecoregions . The hot, dry summers make much of the region prone to fires, and lightning-caused fires occur with some frequency. Many of the plants are pyrophytes , or fire-loving, adapted or even depending on fire for reproduction, recycling of nutrients, and the removal of dead or senescent vegetation. In both the Australian and Californian Mediterranean-climate eco-regions, native peoples used fire extensively to clear brush and trees, making way for

180-730: A native shrubland to non-native annual grassland and drastically reduce species diversity, especially under drought brought about by climate change . On 25 July 2023, devastating wildfires were burning in at least nine countries across the Mediterranean, including Croatia , Italy , and Portugal , with thousands of firefighters in Europe and North Africa working to contain flames stoked by high temperatures, dry conditions, and strong winds. The wildfires led to casualties, evacuations of thousands of people, and widespread destruction of homes and forests. Mediterranean ecoregions are some of

216-725: Is a cultural and geographic region in Southern Lebanon largely associated with its long-established, predominantly Twelver Shia Muslim inhabitants. Its precise boundaries vary, but it is generally defined as the mostly highland region on either side of the Litani River , between the Mediterranean Sea in the west and the Wadi al-Taym , Beqaa and Hula valleys in the east. The Shia community in Jabal Amil

252-546: Is equivalent to about 40% of the plant species of the United States and Canada combined, found within an area the size of the state of Maine . The fynbos and Southwest Australia shrublands have flora that are significantly more diverse than the other ecoregions, although any Mediterranean shrubland is still rich in species and endemics relative to other non-forest ecoregions. Major plant communities in this biome include: Fire, both natural and human-caused, has played

288-484: Is frequent occurrence of this account in many religious sources, it is largely dismissed in academia, and historical sources suggest Shia Islam largely developed in Jabal Amil between the mid-8th and 10th centuries (750–900). Twelver Shia tradition in southern Lebanon credits the Amila, as the progenitors of the community, by having sided with the faction of Ali in the mid-7th century. The region derives its name from

324-552: Is separated from the Lower Galilee by the Beit HaKerem valley; its mountains are taller and valleys are deeper than those in the Lower Galilee ; its tallest peak is Har Meron at 1,208 m above sea level . Safed is one of the major cities in this region". In recent decades, however, this usage has virtually disappeared from the general Israeli discourse, the term "Upper Galilee" being used solely in reference to

360-457: Is thought to be one of the oldest in history. In the 10th century, several Yemeni tribes with Shi'ite inclinations, including the 'Amila tribe , had established themselves in the region. 'Amili oral tradition and later writings assert that a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an early supporter of Ali , Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (d. AD 651), introduced Shi'ism to the area. Although there

396-557: Is today northern Israel and southern Lebanon . The boundaries of this region were the Litani River in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Lower Galilee in the south (from which it is separated by the Beit HaKerem Valley ), and the upper Jordan River and the Hula Valley in the east. According to the first century Jewish historian Josephus , the bounds of Upper Galilee stretched from Bersabe in

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432-619: The Amila , an Arab tribe that had been affiliated with the Ghassanid client kings of Byzantium and that moved into the region and neighboring Galilee after the 7th-century Muslim conquests . Although speculative, Twelver Shia tradition in southern Lebanon credits the Amila as the progenitors of the community, by having sided with the faction of Ali in the mid-7th century. The 10th-century Jerusalemite geographer al-Muqaddasi describes 'Jabal Amila' as "a mountainous district" overlooking

468-464: The Balkans (including Northern Greece ), as well as Northern and Western Jordan . Vegetation types range from forests to woodlands , savannas , shrublands , and grasslands ; " mosaic habitat " landscapes are common, where differing vegetation types are interleaved with one another in complex patterns created by variations in soil, topography, exposure to wind and sun, and fire history. Much of

504-677: The Israeli Coastal Plain to the west, or the Jordan Rift Valley to the east. These are considered to be separate geographical areas that are not part of “Upper Galilee.” The Upper Galilee is home to numerous significant ancient synagogues , dating from Roman and Byzantine times. Those include the synagogues of Bar'am , Nabratein , Gush Halav , Huqoq , Chorazin , Meron and a few others. Remains of synagogues has also been found in Qision and Alma . Following

540-399: The 14th century that Jabal Amil saw the rise of its own scholarly institutions and a surge in the number of Shi'ite scholars. This culminated in the 15th and 16th centuries, when Jabal Amil became the leading center of Shi'ite learning, with a focus on legal, linguistic, and doctrinal studies. However, by the 16th century, economic and political factors led to a decline in these institutions and

576-591: The Beit HaKerem Valley to Baca (Peki'in) in the north, and from Meloth to Thella . The extent of this region is approximately 470 km. In present-day usage, the toponym mainly refers only to the northern part of the Galilee that is under Israeli sovereignty. That is, the term today does not include the portion of Southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, or the corresponding stretches of

612-550: The Earth's plant species. The Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome mostly occurs in, but not limited to, the Mediterranean climate zones, in the mid-latitudes: The biome is not limited to the Mediterranean climate zone. It can also be present in other climate zones (which typically border the Mediterranean climate zone), such as the drier regions of the oceanic and humid subtropical climates , and as well as

648-548: The Mediterranean sea and connected to Mount Lebanon . It contained "many fine villages" and springs. Its fields were rain-dependent, and grapes, olives, and other fruits were grown there. It was the source of the highest-quality honey in Syria , along with that of Jerusalem. Jabal Amila, and the district of Jabal Jarash to the southeast, on the other side of the Jordan River , were the largest sources of revenue for Tiberias ,

684-482: The capital of Jund al-Urdunn (the Jordan [River] District). He mentions that another highland region, between Tyre , Sidon and Qadas , was known as 'Jabal Siddiqa' after a holy person's tomb in the district that was visited annually by throngs of local pilgrims and Muslim officials. Qadas is also mentioned by him as belonging to Jabal Amila. The Damascene geographer al-Dimashqi described Jabal Amila in 1300 as

720-600: The coast as far south as Tyre and was home to the Shaqif Arnun fortress (Beaufort Castle). According to the historian Tamara Chalabi, defining Jabal Amil is "difficult" as the region was not generally recognized as a distinct geographic or political entity. Rather, its identity, and by extension its definition, is derived from its largely Twelver Shia Muslim inhabitants, who historically referred to themselves as 'Amilis'. The scholar Marilyn Booth calls it "a terrain of identity, its 'boundaries' somewhat indefinite". In

756-514: The definition generally accepted by its Twelver Shia community, the Jabal Amil is roughly 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi) and bound by the Awali River north of Sidon, which separates it from the Chouf highlands of Mount Lebanon , and the Wadi al-Qarn in modern Israel to the south. In this definition, the region is bound in the west by the Mediterranean Sea and in the east by

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792-973: The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and the Balfour Declaration in which the British Empire promised to create "A Jewish National Home" in Palestine, the Zionist Movement presented to the Versailles Peace Conference a document calling for including in the British Mandate of Palestine the entire territory up to the Litani river — with a view to this becoming eventually part of a future Jewish state. However, only less than half this area

828-479: The former villages of al-Bassa and al-Khalisa , and the villages of Tarbikha , Qadas, Hunin , al-Nabi Yusha' , and Saliha , whose inhabitants had been Twelver Shia before their depopulation in the 1948 Palestine war . In the definition of Lebanon specialist Elisabeth Picard, the northern boundary of Jabal Amil is formed by the Zahrani River , south of Sidon. The historian William Harris defines it as

864-884: The grasses and herbaceous vegetation that supported game animals and useful plants. The plant communities in these areas adapted to the frequent human-caused fires, and pyrophyte species grew more common and more fire-loving, while plants that were poorly adapted to fire retreated. After European colonization of these regions, fires were suppressed, which has caused some unintended consequences in these ecoregions; fuel builds up, so that when fires do come they are much more devastating, and some species dependent on fire for their reproduction are now threatened. The European shrublands have also been shaped by anthropogenic fire, historically associated with transhumance herding of sheep and goats. Though adapted to infrequent fires, chaparral plant communities can be eliminated by frequent fires. A high frequency of fire (less than ten years) will result in

900-650: The hills south of the Litani, which "grade into the Upper Galilee ". According to Stefan Winter , Jabal Amil is traditionally defined as the predominantly Twelver Shia-populated, highland region southeast of Sidon. A prominent native scholar of Jabal Amil, Suleiman Dahir, defined it in 1930 as a much larger area, encompassing Jezzine in the Chouf, Baalbek in the northern Beqaa, and the Hula. Historical accounts suggest

936-431: The loss of obligate seeding shrub species such as Manzanita spp. This high frequency disallows seeder plants to reach their reproductive size before the next fire and the community shifts to a sprouter-dominance. If high frequency fires continue over time, obligate resprouting shrub species can also be eliminated by exhausting their energy reserves below-ground. Today, frequent accidental ignitions can convert chaparral from

972-773: The lusher areas of the semi-arid climate zone. Non-Mediterranean climate regions that would feature Mediterranean vegetation include the Nile River Valley in Egypt (extending upstream along the riverbanks), parts of the Eastern Cape in South Africa, southeastern Australia, southeastern Azerbaijan , southeastern Turkey, far northern Iraq , the Mazandaran Province in Iran , Central Italy , parts of

1008-733: The most endangered and vulnerable on the planet. Many have suffered tremendous degradation and habitat loss through logging, overgrazing, conversion to agriculture, urbanization, fire suppression , and introduction of exotic and invasive species . The ecoregions around the Mediterranean basin and in California have been particularly affected by degradation due to human activity, suffering extensive loss of forests and soil erosion, and many native plants and animals have become extinct or endangered. Jabal Amel Jabal Amil ( Arabic : جبل عامل , romanized :  Jabal ʿĀmil ), also spelled Jabal Amel and historically known as Jabal Amila ,

1044-633: The mountain. Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature . The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near colder seas. Winters are typically mild to cool in low-lying locations but can be cold in inland and higher locations. All these ecoregions are highly distinctive, collectively harboring 10% of

1080-751: The part located in Israel. The Upper Galilee region, specifically the city of Safed was a centre of Israeli and Jewish art since 1920 when the School of Paris painter, Yitzhak Frenkel visited the region and was the first to settle in Safed where he later established an art school. In Safed was established the Artists' quarter of Safed . Safed harbored mysticism and was reminiscent of picturesque villages, which drew artists such as Frenkel, Marc Chagall , Moshe Castel , Mordechai Levanon and others. Artists were drawn to

1116-522: The region and also hosts an artists' quarter that was a major center of Israeli art . Although historical definitions encompass parts of southern Lebanon within the boundaries of the Upper Galilee, the Lebanese government does not use the term "Galilee" for any part of its territory. Originally, the term "Upper Galilee" referred to a larger region, encompassing the mountainous regions of what

Upper Galilee - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-719: The state's early years — continued to speak of "The Upper Galilee" as being "the northern sub-area of the Galilee region of Israel and Lebanon ". Under this definition, "The Upper Galilee" covers an area spreading over 1,500 km, about 700 in Israel and the rest in Lebanon. This included the highland region of Belad Bechara in Jabal Amel located in South Lebanon , which was at for some time known in Hebrew as "The Lebanese Galilee". As defined in geographical terms, "it

1188-605: The upper galilee due to its mountainous landscapes and "mysticsm". Prior to the air conditioner, Safed also attracted artists due to its climatic conditions which were more comfortable than Tel Aviv during the summer. Safed also offered different themes for the artists, from the Klezmer musicians to the Hasidim and the city itself. Mount Meron was also an object in artworks by Jewish artists with artists such as Frenkel and Rolly Schaffer painting serene or fiery scenes of sunset over

1224-587: The valley regions of Wadi al-Taym , the Beqaa , and the Hula . The Litani River cuts the region into northern and southern parts. The southern part is additionally known as Bilad Bishara . According to the scholar Chibli Mallat , while the traditional definition of Jabal Amil includes the cities of Sidon and Jezzine, other, more limited definitions exclude them, defining them as separate areas. The traditional definition also includes parts of modern Israel, including

1260-642: The woody vegetation in Mediterranean-climate regions is sclerophyll, which means 'hard-leaved' in Greek. Sclerophyllous vegetation generally has small, dark leaves covered with a waxy outer layer to retain moisture in the dry summer months. Phytogeographers consider the fynbos (South Africa) as a separate floral kingdom because 68% of the 8,600 vascular plant species crowded into its 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 sq mi) are endemic and highly distinctive at several taxonomic levels. This

1296-651: Was actually included in British Mandatory Palestine, the final border being influenced both by diplomatic maneuverings and struggles between Britain and France and by fighting on the ground, especially the March 1920 battle of Tel Hai . For a considerable time after the border was defined so to make the northern portion of the territory concerned part of the French mandated territory that became Lebanon, many Zionist geographers — and Israeli geographers in

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