Mount Carmel Muhraqa
Mount Carmel is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The summit of Mount Carmel, which rises to a height of 482 meters, is called in Arabic el-Muhraqa. It forms a balcony opening onto the plain of Jezreel. On clear days it gives views of Mt. Gelboe, Megiddo and Nazareth and of the rounded peak of Mount Tabor. Traditionally el-Muhraqa has been identified as the site of the dramatic episode in which Elijah, in the presence of King Ahab and the people of Israel, challenged the prophets of Baal to demonstrate who was the true God and called down fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice. The statue at the Carmelite monastery reflects the Lord's victory over the prophets of Baal. The monastery of Muhraqa is at the top of the hill, but tradition places the contest slightly lower near a spring.
Mount Carmel and the Carmel shore have more than 210 prehistoric known sites, spanning from 150,000 years ago.
Today two Druze villages are situated on Mt. Carmel. The Druze religion is an offshoot of the Islam faith from about 1000 A.D. The Druze people speak Arabic, live also in the hills of Galilee and the Golan Heights, and have good relations with the Jews of Israel.
