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Israel
For anyone who has traveled to the land of Israel, even but once, there is no doubt as to why the prophet Daniel thrice
refers to this place as “The Beautiful Land” (Dan 8:9; 11:16, 41). Israel possesses a charm and beauty
unique to itself, thanks in part to its incredibly diverse topography and climatic zones. Located in the
southwesternmost corner of Asia, Israel is part of a region known as the Fertile Crescent, which is shaped in the form of
an arc and is nestled between two natural barriers. To the north and northeast of the Fertile Crescent is a vast formation
of rugged mountains known as the Alpine-Himalayan Chain, which stretches from the Pyrenees Mountains of
northeastern Spain and southwestern France to the towering Himalayas of India, Nepal, and China; to the south lies the
burning sands of the Arabian Desert. The Fertile Crescent stretches from the southeastern corner of the Mediterranean
Sea, near Gaza, to the northern extremity of the Persian Gulf. Within this crescent, often called the “cradle of
humanity,” mankind developed art, music, literature, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, and chemistry. Here,
man also learned to domesticate animals, to cultivate grains, to build cities, to work metals, and to write.
The Fertile Crescent is divided into two topographical spheres, known respectively as the Levant and Mesopotamia. The
Levant, composing the western side of the Crescent, consists of a narrow band of high hills and mountainous
outcroppings that flank the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. Longitudinally segmented at two points (the TripolisHoms-Palmyra Depression, and the deep gorge created by the Litani River), the Levant actually comprises a series of
three mountain ranges that align with the Mediterranean seaboard. Beginning in the north, the Nusariya (Baryglus)
Mountain Range stretches from the Antioch Basin as far as the Tripolis-Homs-Palmyra Depression. The Lebanon
Mountain Range extends south of the el-Kabir Valley as far as the deep gorge created by the Litani River, just north of
Tyre. Finally, spanning the area between the Litani and southern Judah, are the mountains of Galilee, Samaria, and
Judah, also known as the “Central Mountain Spine” of Israel. All three ranges are actually limestone
highlands with steep, rocky ridges and deeply furrowed wadi beds, almost entirely devoid of surface water and practically
treeless. Even the Lebanon Range is all but stripped of its famed cedar forests that were exploited in ancient times.
Flanking these three mountain ranges of the Levant toward the east is a deep, slender valley, which actually serves as
the northern extremity of the transcontinental Afro-Arabian Fault. Being one of the earth’s most important
faultlines, the Afro-Arabian Fault separates two massive geological plates. In the north, the Nusariya Mountains are
bordered by the part of this chasm known as the Ghab (meaning “depression”), which in its northern
extremities descends to a depth of 198 m (650´) below sea level. Opposite the Lebanon Range, the gorge is referred to
as the Beqa Valley, though the term Beqa itself means “valley.” To the south of the Beqa Valley, as far as
the Gulf of Aqaba, the chasm is called the Arabah (meaning “wasteland”).
The northern and eastern spheres of the Fertile Crescent historically have been called Mesopotamia, meaning
“the land between the rivers.” Ancient writers such as Polybius, Josephus, and Strabo understood the term
to denote the region enclosed by the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. The translators of the LXX used the term to designate
the region from which Abraham emigrated (the Hebrew word being Aram-naharim, or “Aram of the two
rivers” [Gen 24:10; Deut 23:4; 1 Chr 19:6]). The low-lying plain of Mesopotamia lies at an altitude of 495 m
(1,625´) in the north, and it gently slopes downward as it stretches south-southeastward to the Persian Gulf.
God’s handiwork has taken shape specifically under the dominant forces of geology, and the land of Israel is best
studied in accordance with the four distinct—mostly parallel—topographical zones, all of which extend in a
longitudinal (north-south) direction. From west to east, these topographical zones are the Coastal Plain, the Central
Mountain Spine, the Jordan Rift Valley, and the Transjordanian Plateau. Though parallel, these regions actually display
exceptional variety in altitude, terrain, and rock formation, further fracturing the already small area of the southern Levant
and giving it a mosaic-like quality.
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