Hulah Valley
Encyclopedia
The Hula Valley is an agricultural
region in northern Israel
with abundant fresh water. It is a major stopover for birds migrating along the Syrian-African Rift Valley
between Africa
, Europe
, and Asia
. The marshland around Lake Hula, a breeding grounds for malaria
, was drained in the 1950s. A small section of the valley was later reflooded in an attempt to revive a nearly extinct ecosystem
. An estimated 500 million migrating birds now pass through the Hula Lake Park every year.
records it as Merom. In the 1st century CE, the Jewish-Roman historian Flavius Josephus termed it Semechonitis, while in the Talmud
it is called Yam Sumchi - i.e. Sea of Sumchi. Currently the lake is called Buheirat el Huleh in Arabic
and Agam ha-Hula in Hebrew
, stemming from the Aramaic Hulata or Ulata. The "Waters of Merom" has sometimes been used in scientific literature, although that term refers specifically to springs
on the western side of the valley.
The Hula Valley lies within the northern part of the Syrian-African Rift Valley
at an elevation of about 70 meters above sea level, and covers an area of 177 square kilometers (25 km by 6–8 km). On both sides of the valley are steep slopes: the Golan Heights to the east and the Upper Galilee
's Naftali mountains to the west rise to 400 to 900 meters above sea level. Basalt
hills of about 200 meters above sea level along the southern side of the valley intercept the Jordan River, and are commonly referred to as the basalt "plug" (actually a temporary geologic base level
), as they restrict water drainage downstream into the Sea of Galilee
.
The Hula Valley has a Mediterranean climate
of hot dry summers and cool rainy winters, although its enclosure within two mountain ranges leads to more extreme seasonal and daily temperature fluctuations than in coastal areas. Annual rainfall varies greatly between different parts of the valley and ranges from about 400 millimeters in the south of the valley, to up to 800 millimeters in the north of the valley. More than 1,500 millimeters of precipitation falls on the Hermon mountain range, only a few kilometers north of the valley, mostly in the form of snow, feeding underground springs, including the sources of the Jordan River, all eventually flowing through the valley. The wind regime is dominated by regional patterns in the winter with occasional strong north-easterly wind storms known in Arabic
as Sharkiyah.
times. Paleolithic
archaeological
remains were found near the Bnot Yaakov
("Daughters of Jacob") bridge at the southern end of the valley. The first permanent settlement, Enan (Mallaha), dates from 9,000-10,000 years ago and was discovered in the valley.
The Hula Valley was a main junction on the important trade route connecting the large commercial centre of Damascus
with the eastern Mediterranean coast and Egypt
.
During the Bronze Age
, the cities of Hazor and Laish were built at key locations on this route approximately 4,000 years ago. At the end of the 13th century BCE, the Israelite tribe of Dan
destroyed the city of Laish and built in its place a new city which they named Dan, and for about 400 years, the Israelites ruled over the Hula Valley until it was captured by the Assyrian armies of Tiglath-Pileser III
and its inhabitants were driven away. The Bible records the lake "Merom" as the site of a victory of Joshua
over the Canaanites.
Throughout the Hellenistic
, Roman
, Byzantine
and early Arab periods (fourth century BCE to eighth centuries CE) rural settlement in the Hula Valley was uninterrupted. During the Seleucid Empire
, the town Seleucia Samulias
was founded on the lake shore.
Traditional crops were rice
(as early as the Hellenistic period), cotton
and sugar cane (brought by the Arab
s following their conquest in 636), sorghum
and maize
(brought after the discovery of the Americas).
Water buffalo were introduced in the eighth century supplying milk
and serving as beasts of burden.
In the 19th century, the valley, mainly marshy ground and a shallow lake, was inhabited by Bedouin
who produced handicrafts from the dry reeds. Mortality rates were very high due to the spread of malaria. In 1882, a traveler wrote that the region was "among the finest hunting grounds in Syria," home to "panthers, leopards, bears, wild boars, wolves, foxes, jackals, hyenas, gazelles and otters." During World War II, officers of the British Army wrote about hunting birds there. John MacGregor
, a Scottish adventurer, was captured with his boat, the "Rob Roy", by black-skinned Bedouin living in the Hula marshes. He drew up the first modern maps of the area.
In 1908, the Ottoman government granted a concession to drain the marsh to a French firm, which sold it to Lebanese businessmen. In 1933, during the British Mandate
, the Palestine Land Development Company took over this concession and drew up plans to drain and irrigate the valley which brought scientific expeditions to the area.
The first modern Jewish settlement in the Hula Valley, Yesod HaMa'ala
on the western shore of the lake, was established in 1883 during the First Aliyah
.
In 1948 there were 35 villages in the Hula Valley, 12 Jewish and 23 Arab.
The draining operations, carried out by the Jewish National Fund
(JNF), began in 1951 and were completed by 1958. It was achieved by two main engineering operations: the deepening and widening of the Jordan River downstream; and two newly-dug peripheral canals diverting the Jordan at the north of the valley. The drying out caused the extinction of the unique endemic fauna of the lake including the Hula painted frog Discoglossus nigriventer
, cyprinid fish Acanthobrama hulensis
and cichlid fish Tristramella intermedia
.
Though initially perceived as a great national achievement for Israel, with time it became evident that the benefits from transforming the "wasteland" of Lake Hula and its swamps were limited. In 1963, a small (3.50 km²) area of recreated papyrus swampland in the southwest of the valley was set aside as the country's first nature reserve
. Concern over the draining of the Hula was the impetus for the creation of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
.
Draining the Hula turned out to be a mixed blessing. Water polluted with chemical fertilizers began flowing into Lake Kinneret
, lowering the water quality of its water. The soil, stripped of natural foliage, was blown away by strong winds in the valley, and the peat of the drained swamp ignited spontaneously, causing underground fires that were difficult to extinguish.
flying from Europe to Africa and back, and also a major birdwatching
site.
, classified as extinct since 1996 by the IUCN as a result of the marsh drainage, reappeared to park patrollers in HaHula. The reappearance was confirmed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, but has yet to be confirmed by the IUCN. Contrary to the IUCN classification, the Israeli government continues to list the species as endangered in the Golan Heights in the slim hope of finding small remaining populations.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
region in northern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
with abundant fresh water. It is a major stopover for birds migrating along the Syrian-African Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
between Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. The marshland around Lake Hula, a breeding grounds for malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, was drained in the 1950s. A small section of the valley was later reflooded in an attempt to revive a nearly extinct ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
. An estimated 500 million migrating birds now pass through the Hula Lake Park every year.
Etymology
Lake Hula was historically referred to by different names. The 14th century BCE Egyptians called the lake Samchuna, while the Hebrew BibleHebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
records it as Merom. In the 1st century CE, the Jewish-Roman historian Flavius Josephus termed it Semechonitis, while in the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
it is called Yam Sumchi - i.e. Sea of Sumchi. Currently the lake is called Buheirat el Huleh in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Agam ha-Hula in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, stemming from the Aramaic Hulata or Ulata. The "Waters of Merom" has sometimes been used in scientific literature, although that term refers specifically to springs
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
on the western side of the valley.
Geography and climate
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
at an elevation of about 70 meters above sea level, and covers an area of 177 square kilometers (25 km by 6–8 km). On both sides of the valley are steep slopes: the Golan Heights to the east and the Upper Galilee
Upper Galilee
The Upper Galilee is a geographical-political term in use since the end of the Second Temple period, originally referring to a mountainous area overlapping the present northern Israel and southern Lebanon, its borders being the Litani river in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Beit...
's Naftali mountains to the west rise to 400 to 900 meters above sea level. Basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
hills of about 200 meters above sea level along the southern side of the valley intercept the Jordan River, and are commonly referred to as the basalt "plug" (actually a temporary geologic base level
Base level
The base level of a river or stream is the lowest point to which it can flow, often referred to as the 'mouth' of the river. For large rivers, sea level is usually the base level, but a large river or lake is likewise the base level for tributary streams...
), as they restrict water drainage downstream into the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
.
The Hula Valley has a Mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
of hot dry summers and cool rainy winters, although its enclosure within two mountain ranges leads to more extreme seasonal and daily temperature fluctuations than in coastal areas. Annual rainfall varies greatly between different parts of the valley and ranges from about 400 millimeters in the south of the valley, to up to 800 millimeters in the north of the valley. More than 1,500 millimeters of precipitation falls on the Hermon mountain range, only a few kilometers north of the valley, mostly in the form of snow, feeding underground springs, including the sources of the Jordan River, all eventually flowing through the valley. The wind regime is dominated by regional patterns in the winter with occasional strong north-easterly wind storms known in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
as Sharkiyah.
History
Prior to its drainage in the early 1950s, Lake Hula was 5.3 kilometers long and 4.4 kilometers wide, extending over 12-14 square kilometers. It was about one and a half meters deep in summer and three meters deep in winter. The lake attracted human settlement from early prehistoricPrehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
times. Paleolithic
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
remains were found near the Bnot Yaakov
Bnot Ya'akov Bridge
Bnot Ya'akov Bridge is a bridge across the Jordan River on Highway 91, straddling the border between Israel proper and the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights...
("Daughters of Jacob") bridge at the southern end of the valley. The first permanent settlement, Enan (Mallaha), dates from 9,000-10,000 years ago and was discovered in the valley.
The Hula Valley was a main junction on the important trade route connecting the large commercial centre of Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
with the eastern Mediterranean coast and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
During the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, the cities of Hazor and Laish were built at key locations on this route approximately 4,000 years ago. At the end of the 13th century BCE, the Israelite tribe of Dan
Tribe of Dan
The Tribe of Dan, also sometimes spelled as "Dann", was one of the Tribes of Israel. Though known mostly from biblical sources, they were possibly descendants of the Denyen Sea Peoples who joined with Hebrews...
destroyed the city of Laish and built in its place a new city which they named Dan, and for about 400 years, the Israelites ruled over the Hula Valley until it was captured by the Assyrian armies of Tiglath-Pileser III
Tiglath-Pileser III
Tiglath-Pileser III was a prominent king of Assyria in the eighth century BC and is widely regarded as the founder of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Tiglath-Pileser III seized the Assyrian throne during a civil war and killed the royal family...
and its inhabitants were driven away. The Bible records the lake "Merom" as the site of a victory of Joshua
Joshua
Joshua , is a minor figure in the Torah, being one of the spies for Israel and in few passages as Moses's assistant. He turns to be the central character in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua...
over the Canaanites.
Throughout the Hellenistic
Hellenistic civilization
Hellenistic civilization represents the zenith of Greek influence in the ancient world from 323 BCE to about 146 BCE...
, Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and early Arab periods (fourth century BCE to eighth centuries CE) rural settlement in the Hula Valley was uninterrupted. During the Seleucid Empire
Seleucid Empire
The Seleucid Empire was a Greek-Macedonian state that was created out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.The Seleucid Empire was a major centre...
, the town Seleucia Samulias
Seleucia Samulias
Seleucia Samulias – Seleucia also transliterated as Seleukeia or Seleukheia; in the Talmud, Selik, Selika, and Selikos; in the Aramaic Targum, Salwaḳia or Salwaḳya – was a Hellenistic colony founded about the end of the 3rd century BC on Lake Merom. According to the inference of Grätz,...
was founded on the lake shore.
Traditional crops were rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
(as early as the Hellenistic period), cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and sugar cane (brought by the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s following their conquest in 636), sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
and maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
(brought after the discovery of the Americas).
Water buffalo were introduced in the eighth century supplying milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
and serving as beasts of burden.
In the 19th century, the valley, mainly marshy ground and a shallow lake, was inhabited by Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
who produced handicrafts from the dry reeds. Mortality rates were very high due to the spread of malaria. In 1882, a traveler wrote that the region was "among the finest hunting grounds in Syria," home to "panthers, leopards, bears, wild boars, wolves, foxes, jackals, hyenas, gazelles and otters." During World War II, officers of the British Army wrote about hunting birds there. John MacGregor
John MacGregor (sportsman)
John MacGregor , nicknamed Rob Roy after a renowned relative, was a Scottish explorer, travel writer and philanthropist. He is generally credited with the development of the first sailing canoes and with popularising canoeing as a middle class sport in Europe and the United States...
, a Scottish adventurer, was captured with his boat, the "Rob Roy", by black-skinned Bedouin living in the Hula marshes. He drew up the first modern maps of the area.
In 1908, the Ottoman government granted a concession to drain the marsh to a French firm, which sold it to Lebanese businessmen. In 1933, during the British Mandate
British Mandate
British Mandate may refer to:*British Mandate for Palestine*British Mandate of Mesopotamia...
, the Palestine Land Development Company took over this concession and drew up plans to drain and irrigate the valley which brought scientific expeditions to the area.
The first modern Jewish settlement in the Hula Valley, Yesod HaMa'ala
Yesod HaMa'ala
Yesud HaMa'ala was the first modern Jewish community in the Hula Valley. Built in 1882, the community was among a series of agricultural settlements founded during the First Aliyah...
on the western shore of the lake, was established in 1883 during the First Aliyah
First Aliyah
The First Aliyah was the first modern widespread wave of Zionist aliyah. Jews who migrated to Palestine in this wave came mostly from Eastern Europe and from Yemen. This wave of aliyah began in 1881–82 and lasted until 1903. An estimated 25,000–35,000 Jews immigrated to Ottoman Syria during the...
.
In 1948 there were 35 villages in the Hula Valley, 12 Jewish and 23 Arab.
Swamp drainage
Jewish National Fund
The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF is a quasi-governmental, non-profit organisation...
(JNF), began in 1951 and were completed by 1958. It was achieved by two main engineering operations: the deepening and widening of the Jordan River downstream; and two newly-dug peripheral canals diverting the Jordan at the north of the valley. The drying out caused the extinction of the unique endemic fauna of the lake including the Hula painted frog Discoglossus nigriventer
Israel painted frog
The Israel painted frog, or Hula painted frog is an amphibian, thought to be extinct until one female specimen was found on 16 November 2011...
, cyprinid fish Acanthobrama hulensis
Acanthobrama hulensis
Acanthobrama hulensis was a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.Its natural habitats were swamps and freshwater lakes in Lake Hula in northern Israel. Acanthobrama hulensis looked much like a sardine...
and cichlid fish Tristramella intermedia
Tristramella intermedia
Tristramella intermedia is an extinct species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It was endemic to Lake Hula in northern Israel.The deliberate draining of Lake Hula in the 1950s led to the extinction of this species, along with the cyprinid fish Acanthobrama hulensis and the Israel painted frog....
.
Though initially perceived as a great national achievement for Israel, with time it became evident that the benefits from transforming the "wasteland" of Lake Hula and its swamps were limited. In 1963, a small (3.50 km²) area of recreated papyrus swampland in the southwest of the valley was set aside as the country's first nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
. Concern over the draining of the Hula was the impetus for the creation of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel , or SPNI, is an Israeli non-profit environmental organization working to preserve plants, animals, and natural environments that represent bio-diversity, by protecting the lands and waters needed for their survival, and is Israel's oldest and...
.
Draining the Hula turned out to be a mixed blessing. Water polluted with chemical fertilizers began flowing into Lake Kinneret
Kinneret
Kinneret or Kineret may refer to:* Sea of Galilee, Israel's largest freshwater lake** Kinneret, Israel, village southwest of the lake** Kvutzat Kinneret, kibbutz southwest of the lake** Kinneret College, college south of the lake...
, lowering the water quality of its water. The soil, stripped of natural foliage, was blown away by strong winds in the valley, and the peat of the drained swamp ignited spontaneously, causing underground fires that were difficult to extinguish.
Hula Lake Park
Hula Lake Park, known in Hebrew as Agamon HaHula , is located in the southern part of the Hula Valley, north of the nature reserve. It was established as part of a JNF rehabilitation project. In the early 1990s part of the valley was flooded again in the wake of heavy rains. It was decided to develop the surrounding area and leave the flooded area intact. The new site has become the second home for thousands of migrating birds in the autumn and spring. The lake covers an area of one square kilometer interspersed with islands that serve as protected bird nesting sites. It has become a major stopover for migrating birdsBird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
flying from Europe to Africa and back, and also a major birdwatching
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
site.
Archaeology
Archaeological findings in 2009 show that the hominids who inhabited the area exploited Lake Hula fish. Analysis of the fish remains recovered from the archaeological site of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov (GBY) have shown that they exploited a wide range of fish including catfish, tilapia and carps. Some of the carps were over a meter long. Tools to light fires and crack nuts were also discovered at the site.Return of Hula painted frog
In November 2011, the Israel painted frogIsrael painted frog
The Israel painted frog, or Hula painted frog is an amphibian, thought to be extinct until one female specimen was found on 16 November 2011...
, classified as extinct since 1996 by the IUCN as a result of the marsh drainage, reappeared to park patrollers in HaHula. The reappearance was confirmed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, but has yet to be confirmed by the IUCN. Contrary to the IUCN classification, the Israeli government continues to list the species as endangered in the Golan Heights in the slim hope of finding small remaining populations.
Cultural references
In 2007 Israel issued a set of three stamps featuring the Hula nature reserve.See also
- Battle of Lake HulehBattle of Lake HulehIn the Battle of Lake Huleh in June 1157, a Crusader army led by King Baldwin III of Jerusalem was ambushed and badly defeated by Nur ad-Din Zangi, the emir of Aleppo and Damascus. While the king and some fighting men escaped to a nearby castle, a large number were killed or made prisoner...
- Museum of Prehistory of the Hulah ValleyMuseum of Prehistory of the Hulah ValleyThe Prehistoric Man Museum is a museum of prehistory in Kibbutz Ma'ayan Baruch, Israel.The museum showcases historical artifacts found in and around the kibbutz and houses an extensive collection of prehistoric tools and vessels, including hand axes predating human settled in the Hulah Valley,...
- Israel painted frogIsrael painted frogThe Israel painted frog, or Hula painted frog is an amphibian, thought to be extinct until one female specimen was found on 16 November 2011...
- Acanthobrama hulensisAcanthobrama hulensisAcanthobrama hulensis was a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.Its natural habitats were swamps and freshwater lakes in Lake Hula in northern Israel. Acanthobrama hulensis looked much like a sardine...
- Tristramella intermediaTristramella intermediaTristramella intermedia is an extinct species of fish in the Cichlidae family. It was endemic to Lake Hula in northern Israel.The deliberate draining of Lake Hula in the 1950s led to the extinction of this species, along with the cyprinid fish Acanthobrama hulensis and the Israel painted frog....