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Mount Carmel

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Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel (Hebrew: הַר הַכַּרְמֶל, romanizedHar haKarmel; Arabic: جبل الكرمل, romanizedJabal al-Karmil), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias (Arabic: جبل مار إلياس, romanized: Jabal Mār Ilyās, lit.'Mount Saint Elias/Elijah'; Hebrew: הַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ אֵלִיָּהוּ, romanizedHar haQadosh Eliyahu), is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. A number of towns are situated there, most notably Haifa, Israel's third largest city, located on the northern and western slopes.

The word karmel ("garden-land"[clarification needed]) has been explained as a compound of kerem and el meaning "vineyard of God" or a clipping of kar male, meaning "full kernel." Martin Jan Mulder suggested a third etymology, that of kerem + l with a lamed sufformative, meaning only "vineyard", but this is considered unlikely as evidence for the existence of a lamed sufformative is weak.

In Song of Songs 7:6, karmel is generally interpreted as a color, perhaps "crimson" or "yellow". Isachar Tamar [he] suggests connecting it to the yellow "karmel lily" mentioned by the Jerusalem Talmud (y. Sukkah 3:6 ) in the version of REbYH.

The phrase "Mount Carmel" has been used in three distinct ways, referring to either one of the following three areas:

The Carmel range is approximately 6.5 to 8 kilometres (4.0 to 5.0 miles) wide, sloping gradually towards the southwest, but forming a steep ridge on the northeastern face, 546 metres (1,791 feet) high. The Jezreel Valley lies to the immediate northeast. The range forms a natural barrier in the landscape, just as the Jezreel Valley forms a natural passageway, and consequently the mountain range and the valley have had a large impact on migration and invasions through the Levant over time.

The mountain formation is an admixture of limestone and flint, containing many caves, and covered in several volcanic rocks. While most of the sedimentary rock originates in the late Cretaceous, some of the north east sediments are from the early Cretaceous, and the edges also feature sediments from the pleistocen.

The sloped side of the mountain is covered with luxuriant vegetation, including oak, pine, olive, and laurel trees.

Several modern towns are located on the range, including Yokneam on the eastern ridge; Zikhron Ya'akov on the southern slope; the Druze communities of Daliyat al-Karmel and Isfiya on the more central part of the ridge; and the towns of Nesher, Tirat Hakarmel, and the city of Haifa, on the far northwestern promontory and its base. There is also a small kibbutz called Beit Oren, which is located on one of the highest points in the range to the southeast of Haifa. Mount Carmel Naval Base is also located just near the mountain and is the logistical hub of Israeli Navy.

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