Palestine and Syria:  Handbook for Travelers

Mount Tabor. — History. Mt. Tabor was situated on the frontier of Issachar and Zebulon. It was here that Deborah directed Barak to assemble his army (Judges iv; comp. p. 263). In the Psalms, Tabor and Hermon are extolled together (lxxxix. 12). The hill was afterwards called Itabyrion, or Atabyrion. In B. C. 218 Antiochus the Great found a town of the same name on the top of the hill. In A.D. 53 a battle took place here between the Romans under Gabinius and the Jews. Josephus afterwards caused the place to be fortified. Origen and St. Jerome speak of Mt. Tabor as the scene of the Transfiguration (Mark ix. 2-10), but this can hardly have been the case, as the top was covered with houses in the time of Christ. The legend, however, attached itself to this, the most conspicuous mountain in Galilee , and so early as the end of the 6th cent, three churches had been erected here in memory of the three tabernacles which St. Peter proposed to make. — The Crusaders also erected a church and a monastery on Mt. Tabor, but these suffered much during the wars with the Muslims. In 1212 Mt. Tabor was fortified by Melik el-'Adil, the brother and successor of Saladin. Five years later this fortress was unsuccessfully besieged by the Christians. It was afterwards dismantled by the Muslims themselves, and the church was destroyed. The two monasteries which now occupy the top of the hill are comparatively modern.

Mt. Tabor (2018 ft. above the sea) is called by the Arabs Jebel et-Tôr (comp. p. 88). When seen from the S.W., it has the form of a dome, but from the W.N.W. that of a truncated cone. The slopes of the hill are wooded. The soil is fertile, yielding luxuriant pasture. Oaks (Quercus ilex and aegilops) and butm (Pistacia terebinthus) formerly covered the summit, but most of them have been felled by the peasants. The monks, however, are again endeavouring to propagate them. Partridges, hares, foxes, and various other kinds of game abound. The Ruins on Mt. Tabor belong to several different periods. The substructions of the wall surrounding the summit, and enclosing a plateau of about 4 sq. M. in area, consist of large blocks, some of which, particularly on the S.E. side, are drafted, and are at least as old as the Roman period. The castle, which occupied the highest part of the plateau and was protected by a moat on the E. side, dates from the middle ages, and is now a mere heap of stones. Within the Latin monastery are still to be seen the ruins of a Crusaders' church of the 12th cent., consisting of a nave and aisles and three chapels in memory of the three tabernacles which St. Peter wished to build. There is also a large subterranean crypt. The church belonged to the monastery of St. Salvator of the monks of Cluny. The Greek church also stands on the site of a very ancient church of the 4th or 5th century. The two apses and a portion of the mosaic pavement of black and white mosaic in stone were carefully preserved when the new Greek church was built.

The Greeks and Latins differ as to the actual spot where the Transfiguration took place, each claiming it to be within their own church. Excavations are being continued. To the E. of the Latin monastery and to the W. of the Greek monastery several other ancient buildings have been discovered. The Greeks have also found several Arabic inscriptions.

The View from Mt. Tabor is very extensive. To the E. the N. end of the Lake of Tiberias is visible, and in the extreme distance the blue chain of the mountains of the Haurân. To the S. of the Lake of Tiberias is the deep gap of the Yarmûk valley (Hieromyces), then the Jebel 'Ajlûn. Towards the S. and N. the view resembles that from the high ground above Nazareth (p. 282); on the Nebi Dahî lie Endûr, Nain, and other villages. Towards the S.W.  we survey the battlefield of Barak and Sisera as far as Megiddo and Taanakh; to the W. rises Mt. Carmel; between these are ranges of hills which almost entirely shut out the view of the sea. To the N.  rise the hills of Ez-Zêbâd and Jermak, near which is the town of Safed. Above all presides the majestic Hermon. Below us, to the N. , lie the Khân et-Tujâr, Lûbiyeh, and the Circassian village of Kafr Kama.

We descend on foot by the path by which we came up , and after 40 min. take a path to the right. On the right (4 min.) we observe a cistern with vaulting, beyond which we enter a beautiful green valley. Here we cross two other paths, and after 25 min. leave the valley, continuing to follow the broad road. In 20 min. we reach Khân et-Tujâr, a handsome building erected in 1487, but now dilapidated. On a height to the N.W. of the khân are the ruins of an Arab castle. Near them is a spring, and in the neighbourhood are Beduin settlements. The zone of trees is now quitted. In 45 min.  we come to Kafr Sabt, a village inhabited by Algerian peasants. We then descend into a steep valley and soon reach (40 min.) a broad and fertile basin. About 1 hr. to the N. rises the Karn Hattîn (1135 ft.), a rocky hill with two peaks.