Summary:
Mount Carmel is considered a holy mountain. For millions of Baha'i believers it is the Mountain of God. In the heart of Haifa is the Baha'i World Center complex. The Baha'i gardens in it received UNESCO's recognition as World Heritage Site. The terraced gardens are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Israel. The starting point for most visitors is at Panorama promenade in beautiful Yefe-nof st., which form Haifa's hotels strip. Haifa is a city of stairs built on Mount Carmel slopes.
Mount Carmel in religious sources - The Green Mountain
Mount Carmel is considered a holy mountain since the Canaanite period to the present. Its holiness story passed from one faith to another, each changed and added its own versions. Mount Carmel is mentioned many times in the Bible as a symbol of wealth and beauty of the land of Israel: Nickname to a fertile place, full of vineyards and fruit trees in "and I will bring you to the land of Mount Carmel, to eat its fruit and good" - Jeremiah B, G,. Synonymous with beauty and ornamentation in "Your head on you as Mount Carmel" - Song of Songs 7,6,. Mount Carmel is considered one of the five important mountains in Judaism, to which is directed the prayer with the verse "I lift my eyes unto the hills whence cometh my help". These are Mount Moriah, Mount Sinai, Mount Tabor, Mount Hermon and Mount Carmel. For five million Baha'i believers Mount Carmel is the 'mountain of God', and it takes up a similar position to that of Mecca in Islam and Jerusalem in Judaism. Islam nickname for Mount Carmel is ‘The Green Mountain'.
Influence of religion on the landscape of Mount Carmel - The Baha'i Gardens
Elijah's Cave at the point where Mount Carmel descend to the sea is one the holy places in Land of Israel since the Biblical period. Carmelite monks built a monastery above Elijah's Cave at the top of the mount in the 12th century which still remains. Century ago the Greek-Orthodox church built a convent in Carmel Center with a large walled garden. This convent too was for many years the highest point in the area. The Bahá'ís are prominent and influential minority in Iran which suffer greatly from the Khomeini regime. Mount Carmel is considered a sacred mountain to the Baha'i religion. In the heart of Haifa is the Baha'i World Center complex. There stand the golden dome over the grave of the founder of the faith, and around it the terraces gardens and buildings of the center. These are now a pilgrimage site for the faithful Baha'is and a visiting attraction to other tourists. Some of the Baha'i religion principles are beauty, perfection and design that promote them in their faith. The center was built so that it will preserve the straight lines. Everything is planned to the last detail. The Baha'i religion world center in Haifa and Acre received UNESCO's recognition as a World Heritage Site. The declaration state that the Baha'i sites represent ‘unique universal values' and therefore they deserve to be included in the list of cultural heritage of the world.
Tourism in Haifa - Panorama promenade
The Baha'i Gardens have become one of the most important tourist centers in Israel and receive millions of visitors each year. The starting point for most visitors is at Panorama promenade at top of the Baha'i gardens in beautiful Yefe-nof street. Apart from visiting the gardens the promenade serve for the additional purposes: A. Observation point - The panoramic scenery of Haifa Bay is breath taking and everyone will find it difficult to stand up to its charm. On a clear day you can see the snowy head of Mount Hermon and the white limestone rocks of Rosh Hanikra. Grooms and brides come every day to be photographed against the scenic background in wedding clothes. B. Walking route - During all hours of the day walkers and runners of all ages can be viewed on the promenade. The Promenade and Yefe-nof street upon which it is built are, in the absence of other suitable routes in the area, the main place for this essential physical activity. C. Meeting place - Along the promenade stand few 4 and 5 stars hotels. In the promenade itself there are many benches, used as meeting places for different population groups, from mothers with strollers to dog lovers. Today the completed Panorama Promenade ends in a bridge from Panorama Center to Its direct continuation along Yefe-nof street. The scenery in this street section match that of the promenade. It is actually used as its continuation. This is thanks to the straight and plain topography, the gardens and hotels along the street, and the hill in the upper side which is the highest point in the Carmel parallel to Haifa bay. Most of Panorama promenade travelers begin their route on this stretch of Yefe-nof. Some apartment owners there rent their apartments and rooms to tourists who come to visit Haifa. Two major public gardens stretch along this beautiful street: Rishonim garden along the upper side of the street with a magical walking trail and Allenby Garden where there is a historical observation terrace to the bay. In this section of this street there are two hotels: Crowne Plaza and Ganei-Dan. It is part of Haifa's hotels strips, which also includes the hotels Dan-Carmel, Nof, and Dan-Panorama.
Residents of Haifa - City of stairs
In the Corner of Yefe-nof and Carmel Center start ‘The Road of Thousand Stairs' leading through the neighborhoods of the city from to down town. The trip along the stairs allows to visit the inhabited parts of the city and their diverse population. Haifa is a city of stairs. Built on Mount Carmel slopes, Haifa is layered on it as a complex urban texture which responds to the shape of the mountain. One of the wonderful results of this special structure of Haifa is that in the stairs streets you can find another world, often hidden from the ordinary visitor: Countless staircases connect between buildings and blocks, yards and streets, to create together a world parallel to Haifa's street world. Who that time is in his hand is invited to discover the staircases all over the city. He will find hidden passages between the blocks, passages that will take him into half-covered pieces of nature or a series of courtyards which ends in a narrow entrance to a parallel street, higher or lower than the street where he have been. The staircases that run between the buildings reveal not just yards with vegetation, but also parts of the residents' life. This unique environmental texture is specially prominent in the neighborhoods of ‘Historic Carmel' around Carmel Center, which Yefe-nof street with the concentration of hotels and holiday apartments in Haifa is part of. The unique character of these older neighborhoods in Haifa's Carmel is largely determined by the combination of terraced, simple low buildings on the edge of wadis, with abundant vegetation in the streets and yards.
