Mount Tabor rises from the Jezreel Valley floor like a perfectly shaped dome, 575 meters high and visible from almost everywhere in the lower Galilee. Its distinctive silhouette has made it a landmark since antiquity, and its summit is the traditional site of the Transfiguration of Jesus, one of the most important events in the Gospels.
The Transfiguration
According to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a high mountain, where he was transfigured before them: his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appeared beside him, and a voice from heaven declared, “This is my Son, whom I love.” The Church of the Transfiguration on the summit marks this event.
The Battle of Deborah
Long before the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor was a military rallying point. In the Book of Judges, the prophetess Deborah summoned Barak to gather his forces on Mount Tabor before descending to defeat Sisera’s Canaanite army in the valley below. The view from the summit makes the battlefield geography immediately clear.
The Drive Up
The road to the summit is a series of tight switchbacks through Mediterranean forest, and the sense of ascending to something special builds with every turn. At the top, the views are extraordinary: the Jezreel Valley to the south and west, Nazareth to the northwest, and the Sea of Galilee glimmering to the east.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
Mount Tabor is a highlight of any lower Galilee itinerary. Hoshen Tours combines it with Nazareth, Kfar Kana, and the Galilee countryside.