Lake Ram
| Lake Ram | |
|---|---|
Precipitation, underground springs | |
| Basin countries | Israel (de facto), Syria |
Lake Ram (
History
Josephus referred to it as Lake Phiala.[1] The sources of the lake are rain water and an underground spring. The lake has no outlet. It is known in Hebrew as "Brekhat Ram" (also written Berekhat Ram), meaning high pool.[2] It is also called Birket Ram,[2] using the Arabic word for pond. The area is inhabited by the Druze community.[3]
Many geologists believe that the lake formed inside the crater of an extinct volcano.[3]
Archaeology
During excavations evidence was discovered of
The site has been excavated for evidence of human activity during its history. Research on lacustrine sediments at the site concluded that the area has been heavily settled four times over history, first during the early Bronze Age, secondly during the Hellenistic and Roman–Byzantine periods, thirdly during the period of medieval Crusader rule, and finally in modern times. Between these periods the area became overgrown as local woodland regenerated, evidencing phases of low human occupation.[4]
Legends
According to The
In a local Druze legend the lake is the "eye" of the "sheikh's wife", the name for a hill nearby. Mount Hermon (in Arabic Jabal al-Shaykh, "Mountain of the Sheikh"), referred to as the sheikh himself, is supposed to have been separated from the "wife", whereupon her eye filled with tears.[3]
References
- ^ Ulrich Jasper Seetzen, Brief Account of the Countries adjoining the Lake of Tiberias, Palestine Association of London: London 1810, p. 15
- ^ a b The Vilnay Guide to Israel, Volume 2, Beit-Or-Vilnay, 1999, p.298.
- ^ a b c "Israel Ministry of Tourism Website". Archived from the original on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
- ^ .
- ^ "Sanhedrin 108a:11".
| Authority control databases: National |
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