Rising out from its eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, Israel’s fertile breadbasket, is the perfect half dome of Mount Tabor. At its top is a Franciscan Monastery, which towers nearly five hundred meters over the eponymous Tabor Village at the foot of the mountain.
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This church commemorates the site of the “mountain of transfiguration” from the book of Mathew. In the Old Testament, the mountain is mentioned as the boundary point of the Tribes of Zebulun, Issachar and Naftali. It is also mustering point of the armies of the Prophetess Debora and Barak Ben Abinoam that defeated the Midianite hordes of Sisra in the valley below the mountain.
To get to the peak of this remarkable lonely mountain, you need drive through the Muslim Bedouin Village of Daburia. At its central square follow the sign and turn right to the mountain. The narrow road turns sharply more than 15 times before it reaches the top of the mountain and an unmarked intersection. Turn right towards an ancient stone gate and through a tree shaded boulevard until you reach the church parking lot.
From the church, follow a 2.5-kilometer footpath around the mountain top that offers you a breathtaking vista in all directions. If you want to extend your walk you can either descend the steep, green-white blazed trail to Shibli Village or the less steep red-white blazed trail to Ein Tzon and route 65. either way, make sure have a car parked at the bottom!