Petroleum Road
Encyclopedia
Blue Line (Lebanon)
The Blue Line is a border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel published by the United Nations on 7 June 2000 for the purposes of determining whether Israel had fully withdrawn from Lebanon...
, nearby Ghajar
Ghajar
Ghajar is an Alawite village on the Hasbani River on the border between Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights. It has a population of 2,000.-Early history:...
.
Most of the road is marked on maps as inaccessible to traffic because of poor road quality.
The name Petroleum Road derives from the now defunct oil pipeline of the Trans-Arabian Pipeline Company, which the road runs adjacent to. The Tapline, as it is abbreviated, originated in the oil fields of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, then proceeded through Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
until reaching its oil export terminal in Sidon
Sidon
Sidon or Saïda is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km north of Tyre and 40 km south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah...
on the coast of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. Even though Israel came to control the section of the Tapline through the Golan after the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
it permitted its operation to continue. However, although it was the largest pipeline system in the world when it was completed in 1950, the Tapline had ceased all operations by 1990. The Golan Heights section stopped transporting petroleum in 1976.
Since the road diagonally bisects the entire length of the northern portion of the Golan Heights, it was the site of many battles fought along its axis during the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
in 1973.
The road
The length of the road that accompanies the pipeline in the Golan Heights is 45 km (28 mi). The southernmost 2 km were destroyed when Israel constructed its forward line of defensive fortificationFortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s opposite the ceasefire line
Purple Line (border)
The purple line was the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria after the 1967 Six Day War.-History:Syria gained independence from France in 1946 and on May 14, 1948 the British withdrew from Palestine as Israel declared its independence. Syrian forces participated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
between Israel and Syria after the Six-Day War. In addition, the northernmost 4 km is generally not considered part of the Petroleum Road, but is rather part of Route 999
Route 999 (Israel)
Route 999 is an east-west regional route in the northern Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the Six Day War in 1967. For almost its entire length its access is restricted to Israeli army vehicles. It is the northernmost route in Israel...
.
Since the Petroleum Road is a private road, not maintained by the Israeli transport authority, it has not been assigned a number.
Intersections on the route
| Kilometers | Name | Location | Intersecting routes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petroleum Road (from south to north) | ||||
| 0 | צומת אורחה (Orha Junction) |
Yonatan (moshav) |  Highway 98Highway 98 (Israel) Highway 98 is the primary north-south highway in the Golan Heights. It is shaped like an archer's bow, and it runs parallel to the ceasefire line of the occupied territory with the rest of Syria... |
|
| 8 | צומת קשת (Keshet Junction) |
Keshet Keshet Keshet may refer to:In Television:*Keshet is one of the two concessionaires running the Israeli commercial television Channel 2.Other uses:*Keshet is a social justice organization in Boston, Massachusetts.... |
 Highway 87Highway 87 (Israel) Highway 87 is an east-west highway in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It extends from the northern shores of Lake Kinneret in the Kinarot Valley through the central Golan Heights. It begins in the west at Kfar Nahum and end in the east at Bashan junction... |
|
| 17 | צומת ללא שם (Nameless Junction) |
Ortal |  Highway 91Highway 91 (Israel) Highway 91 is an east-west highway in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It extends through the Jordan Rift Valley and the central Golan Heights. It begins in the west at Mahanayim junction with Highway 90, and it ends in the east at Zivan junction near the Israeli settlement... |
|
| 26 | צומת רוויה (Revaya Junction) |
Kela Alon Kela Alon Kela Alon is an Israeli settlement, communal settlement, in the Golan Regional Council, Israel. The village was founded in 1984. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.... |
Route 959 | |
| 41 | צומת בניאס (Banyas Junction) |
Banias Banias Banias is an archaeological site by the ancient city of Caesarea Philippi, located at the foot of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights... |
 Highway 99Highway 99 (Israel) Highway 99 is an east-west highway in the Finger of the Galilee in far northeast of Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It begins in the west at HaMetzodot junction in Kiryat Shmona, and it ends in the east at the Druze city of Mas'ade. After it reaches the Banias tributary, the road... |
|
| 45 | גבול לבנון (Lebanese Border) |
Ghajar Ghajar Ghajar is an Alawite village on the Hasbani River on the border between Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights. It has a population of 2,000.-Early history:... |
||
Places of interest on the route
- Mount Paras
- Keshet Yehonatan Field School in KeshetKeshetKeshet may refer to:In Television:*Keshet is one of the two concessionaires running the Israeli commercial television Channel 2.Other uses:*Keshet is a social justice organization in Boston, Massachusetts....
- Memorial monument for the IDF 188th Brigade
- Orvim creek nature reserve
- A view of Tel FaherTel FaherTel Faher is a former Syrian outpost in the Golan Heights that was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967.Tel Faher was the site of an intense battle between the Israel Defense Forces and the Syrians which ended in the conquest of the outpost by the Golani Brigade. Tel Faher is now a park...
, where the Golani BrigadeGolani BrigadeThe Golani Brigade is an Israeli infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. Its symbol is a green tree on a yellow background, and its soldiers wear a brown beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the...
fought a battle - BaniasBaniasBanias is an archaeological site by the ancient city of Caesarea Philippi, located at the foot of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights...
archaeological site