Located on the foothills of biblical of Mount Gilboa and close to ancient King’s Highway, the 40 acre-spread Gan HaShalosha National Park is one of the most beautiful parks in Israel. It was selected by Time magazine as one of twenty sites around the world worthy of a detour. There is also a popular legend among Arabs that the park stands on the site of original Garden of Eden. The park is named after three members of a delegation sent by Jewish National Fund on September 15th, 1938 to survey the lands near Beit Shean, not far from here. On the way they had a tragic death by their jeep hitting a land mine.
What to see
What makes Gan HaShalosha special is the Amal (Assie) river that flows through the heart of the park. The temperature of the water remains 28C throughout the year, making the park an ideal spot for tourists, especially the locals. The park has three 100 meter pools, waterfalls, and well maintained lawns and play grounds for children.
For those who wanted to feel how Jewish pioneers struggled to establish their settlements in Palestine, the park contains an exact replica of Tel Amal, a tower-and-stockade settlement (see details later) which was constructed in a single day on December 10, 1936. Also displayed in the park are various types of bells used by early settlers to communicate in case of an emergency. Every settlement had its own bell that produced a distinct unique sound.
For archaeology buffs, there is a small museum called the Museum of Regional and Mediterranean Archeology. Though small in size, a visit to the museum is worth. The staff were really helpful and were happy to take us around. What I noticed special about Gan HaShalosha was that the park was full with Israeli-Arab families and not much Jewish families. May be the park is a favourite spot among Arabs. The site is popularly known Sahne among locals which again is an Arabic word.
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