Do HaBomin Nature Reserve is a Natural park on the Mediterranean coast of Israel, he's a little south of Haifa located.
background
The stretch of coast between HaBonim and Dor / Nachscholim with the beach sections and small bays created by erosion was placed under nature protection as one of the last largely intact coastline.
history
Tel Dor
The one in the south of the protected area ancient city of Dor is already in the Bible (Joshua 17,11 , 1.Chr. 7,29 ) mentioned, the archaeological site is still being explored, the ruins are not particularly impressive for those who are not specifically interested in archaeological sites.
The city on the Mediterranean coast on the ancient "Via Maris", the connection between Egypt and the coastal cities of Sidon and Tire, was already fortified at the time of King Ahab (9th century BC); the Jezreel plain from the Assyrian king Tiglet Pileser in the 8th century v. Conquered and then rebuilt with two-chamber city gates and fortification walls. In 603 BC. the city fell to the Babylonians in 538 BC. to the Persians, who renewed and fortified the city walls and raised Dor to a provincial town.
Like the rest of the Sharon Plain, Dor was founded in 332 BC. Subjugated by Alexander the Great, that is how the Greco - Roman culture began. Dor came under the control of the Ptolemies and later the Seleucids, the Diadochian Empire, the successor to Alexander the Great. We are informed about the conquest of the city by the troops of Pompey from the Roman-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.
In Byzantine times, Dor was the seat of a small diocese, in buildings around the church pilgrims could find accommodation on their way to the sites in the Holy Land. After the end of the crusader era, the place lost its importance under Muslim rule, the Arab village of Tanturah lived on the fishing port. In 1799 Napoleon used the port of Dor as an alternative port for his retreat from Palestine and sank cannons and large parts of his equipment off the coast to make room for the wounded to retreat on his ships.
In 1891, Baron E. de Rothschild founded a small Jewish settlement and a glass factory north of the Arab village of Tanturah for the production of bottles for his winery in Zichron Ya'akov. After the commercial failure, the buildings remained standing and are now used as a museum.
The Arab settlement of Tanturah as an enclave on the Tel Aviv - Haifa road connection was conquered and evacuated by the Israeli troops in 1948, and kibbutzim were established nearby from 1950 Nachscholim and Dor founded.
The first excavations in the area of the British Mandate Palestine were carried out on Tel Dor in 1923/24; after emergency excavations in the 1950s, the settlement mound has been systematically excavated by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem since 1979; research is still ongoing. In addition to ruins, ceramic and seal finds are of particular importance.
HaBonim / Caferlet Castle
In the area of the modern Moshav HaBonim lie the ruins of the Cafarlet Castle (Kaferlatum, Arabic: Kafr Lam), the square fortress with round corner towers was probably built before the arrival of the Crusaders under Muslim rule, and changed hands several times. In the Third Crusade it was recaptured by the Crusaders, passed to the Hospitaller Order and later to the Templar Order and, after the expulsion of the Crusaders and the end of the Crusader state, was finally conquered by the Mamluks in 1291.
In the area of the castle the Arab village Kafr Lam developed, which was evacuated after the War of Independence, the Moshav HaBonim was built in the area of the ruins of the Arab village from 1949.
landscape
The hinterland of the HaBonim-Dor Nature Park belongs to the fertile Sharon Plain, which extends south from Haifa to Tel Aviv. Here on the west coast, the fertile alluvial soil has been used intensively for agriculture for centuries, in the hinterland the Carmel Mountains rise up in the north and the hills of Samaria in the west.
Since only a few stretches of coast remained in their natural form on the entire Mediterranean coast, the coast from HaBonim to Dor was placed under nature protection.
Flora and fauna
In the sand dune landscapes near the coast, beach lilies (Pancratium maritimum) and sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum) grow, the mussels that used to be common on the entire Mediterranean coast are only found here in such abundance that in some small bays the bottom consists almost entirely of mussels.
climate
On the Mediterranean coast, clouds that are driven in by westerly winds, which cool down on the mountain ranges, cause abundant downpours in comparison with the rest of Israel, which is why the country looks comparatively green.
getting there
The coastal highway 2Tel Aviv - Haifa Although leads along the beach section with the nature reserve, there is no direct exit, it is best to change at the 1 
Fureidis Junction (short section on the 70 direction Zichron Ya'akov) on the old coastal road 4.
To the Tel Dor and the 2 southern access The Dor Nature Reserve farm can be reached via the road 7011 and through the kibbutz Nachscholim.
To the 3 North access the HaBonim Hof Dor Reserve can be reached via the access road from the street 4 to HaBonim, in front of the Zor des Moshav HaBonim, turn right, drive along the railway line in a southerly direction to the level crossing and then continue on a gravel road to the parking lot at HaBonim beach. The access to the parking lot at the HaBonim beach is chargeable for motor vehicles.
The HaBonim airfield is used for private aviation (skydiving). The nearest international airport is that of Tel Aviv.
Fees / permits
In the summer months, access to the parking lots on the beach is chargeable, and entry is included in the tourist card issued by the "Israel National Parks Authority".
At the northern entrance to the HaBonim Nature Reserve there are enough large parking spaces, bathing on the beach is not supervised, but there are changing facilities and fresh water showers, a snack bar with ice cream and drinks and seating under a shade roof - the beaches are popular with the residents of the area visited. A "quallometer" provides information about a possible jellyfish plague.
mobility
In the protected area itself you move on foot, for the path along the coast from HaBonim to Dor you have to allow approx. 1½ hours per route, the path is well signposted.
Tourist Attractions
- 1 Dor HaBonim Nature Reserve
- At the parking lot at the north entrance to the park there is the company building with the snack bar, toilets and water showers, picnic tables are available under a sun canopy. The bay is gently sloping and also suitable for children.
- A red and white marked route leads south from the bathing bay. First you get to one 2 Observation point (a walled viewing platform) with a view over the "Shell bay". The "Blue cave" was washed away by the sea.
- Passing sandy bays, where the sand was transported from the Nile Delta by currents in the Mediterranean, you come to an ancient limestone quarry, the 3 Kurkar Quarry.
- From here you can return to the starting point at the parking lot on a gravel road (marked green and white), or continue on the "Long Trail" to Dor Beach.
- The following 4 Sandy bay is closed off almost in a circle by a rocky peninsula.
- The path leads through a former 5 Quarry and arrives at the "Pool of Cleopatra".
- Now you get to 6 Dor Beach, in the north limestone cliffs with shell inclusions and rock gates, in the south sandy flat sections.
- the ruins of the 7 Cafarlet Crusader Castle are within the grounds of the Moschav HaBonim.
- 8 Tel Dor Archeological Site: the archaeological site of Tel Dor is at the height of the kibbutz Nachscholim south of the nature reserve. In the area on the coastal promontory, various foundations and foundation walls of buildings from the Bronze Age to the Roman - Byzantine period were uncovered.
activities
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- Visiting the archaeological site of ancient Dor on the Tel Dor
- Swimming on the sandy bays in the north and south of the Dor Habonim Nature Reserve (access and parking fee) or the more extensive beaches in the south of Nachscholim.
- Visit to the museum of Nachscholim In the buildings of the glass bottle factory founded by Baron Rothschild, the finds from nearby Tel Dor are exhibited here.
- from Air strip launch small planes and transport paragliders into the air: information under HaBonim Paradive
shop
- in Nachscholim there is a small supermarket in the Arab town Fureidis can be along the road 4 Fresh fruit and vegetables can be bought from various vendors.
kitchen
- at the north entrance to the park there is a snack bar with drinks, ice cream and snacks; Drinking water
accommodation
Hotels and hostels
- Guest rooms are available in HaBonim, in Nachscholim also hotel accommodation.
camping
- In the northern area of the area at the northern park entrance in HaBonim you can camp, as is usual with campsites on the area of the Israel National Parks Authority
with only minimal comfort, the sanitary facilities of the park infrastructure can be used for a small overnight fee.
security
- the security situation is harmless
- You can swim on unguarded beaches at your own risk, since security aspects are very important in Israel, a bathing ban is usually issued if the beach is not guarded, in this case on the sections between the park entrances in HaBonim and Dor. A "quallometer" indicates when sea jellyfish are likely to be impaired.
trips
- in the nature reserves and national parks in the Carmel region, i.a. Nachal Me'arot with caves populated in prehistoric times
- to Haifa and in the near Haifa
literature
- the flyer given by the national park administration is in Hebrew
- Information with a route plan in the English-language book Israel National Parks and Nature Reserves, Azaria Alon, ISBN978-965-220-705-0
Web links
- Website of the Tel Dor Excavation Project, engl.
