Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel, short mountain ridge in northwestern Israel. A peak (545 m/1,789 ft) of the ridge is also called Mount Carmel. Mount Carmel is famous for its connections with biblical characters and events. The ridge is 21 km (13 mi) long and 5 to 13 km (3 to 8 mi) wide; it extends in a northwesterly direction from the Plain of Esdraelon (also known as Jezreel) to the Mediterranean Sea, at the port city of Haifa, which is spread out on its northern slopes. There, the ridge ends in a promontory that marks the southern limit of the Bay of Haifa.

From early times Mount Carmel was deemed a holy place, containing an altar for Yahweh long before the contest for allegiance of the people of Israel was fought out here between the Hebrew prophet Elijah and the prophets of the divinity Baal (as cited in the Bible: see 1 Kings 18). Mount Carmel also is celebrated in the Bible for its natural beauty (see Song 7:5; Isaiah 35:2). According to religious tradition, God demonstrated his favor to the Israelites by bestowing upon them a place of such loveliness (see Jeremiah 50:19; Micah 7:14). The devastation of Mount Carmel is, therefore, considered a sign of God's decided displeasure (see Isaiah 33:9; Jeremiah 4:26; Amos 1:2; Nahum 1:4).

In postbiblical times Carmel continued to be a holy site for many religions. In ad 1150 the Carmelite religious order was founded on Mount Carmel. The monastery, rebuilt in 1828, overlooks Haifa Bay. The world headquarters of the Baha’i faith is also on Mount Carmel.