Page 30 - Virtual Tour Outside Jerusalem Walls Advanced Level 110716

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The Bible Hill

The Bible hill is an exposed hill above the Jerusalem Chan and across
from Jerusalem’s old train station.
As every year, with the cooling of the weather towards winter, the Bible
hill of Jerusalem blooms in all its glory.
The Bible hill is one of Jerusalem’s urban nature sites, which stands next
to the old train station compound, at the end of the train track, right
above the Chan Theater. It is shaped like a dome, and it includes about
one last unconstructed acre in the city center. The hill is a small memory
of Jerusalem’s ancient views.
Some believe that this is the mountain mentioned in the book of Joshua
(15, 8) regarding the borders of the land of the tribe of Judah:
“And the border went up by the Valley of the son of Hinnom unto the
side of the Jebusite southward--the same is Jerusalem--and the border
went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the Valley of
Hinnom westward, which is at the uttermost part of the vale of Rephaim
northward.”
The Society for the Protection of Nature set as its goal to also safeguard
nature within the city, for the quality of the residents’ lives. The hill is
one of the six last domes that remain unconstructed in the city. Despite
its small area, the hill is filled with dense bloom in transition seasons - in
the fall we’ll mostly find the Autumnal squill flower, and an impressive
concentration of Drimias.
Amir Balaban, director of urban nature department at the Society for the
Protection of Nature: “The best way to enjoy the beauty of the squills is
to bend down and see them up close, on the background of Mount Zion
and the Scottish Church. Those who will listen carefully will be able to
hear the singing of the Lullula Arborea bird, which sounds like the
sound of a sad shepherd’s flute, and is a wonderful background music
for the beauty of the bloom.”
In the spring the hill is covered by carpets of anemones and Jerusalem
buttercups. In the winter one can see the passage of birds of prey and of
other gliding birds over the hill, as well as some partridges that land for
a visit.
The visit at the urban nature site does not require payment. Visitors are
asked to walk on marked trails and rock beds only, so that everyone
would be able to enjoy the bloom.

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