Hefer Plain Attractions Emeq Hefer
The plain of Hefer, formerly known as the Wadi Hawarith, extends along the Mediterranean coast between Hadera and Netanya, forming part of the plain of Sharon. Watered by streams flowing down from the hills of Samaria, it is a fertile and flourishing tract of land with numerous settlements.
History
During the occupation of the Promised Land by the Israelites the king of Hepher, along with thirty other Canaanite princes, was defeated by Joshua (Joshua 12,17). The Biblical town stood on the tell near the kibbutz of Mabarot. In the 10th century Solomon's court was supplied with victuals from the land of Hepher (1 Kings 4,10). Later the plain degenerated into marshland in which malaria was rife and permanent settlement impossible. In the 19th century this inhospitable region was inhabited only by a few Egyptian fellahin brought in by Ibrahim Pasha in 1830.
Settlements
In 1929 the Jewish National Fund acquired the area, and in the following year the draining of the marshes began. Thereafter the Hefer plain developed into one of the most fertile regions in Israel. Many settlements were established, beginning with Kefar Vitkin in 1933, and an agricultural college was founded. Some villages are named after famous personalities, like Kefar Monash (after the First World War general of that name) and Kefar Yedidia (after the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, known in Hebrew as Yedidia). The kibbutz of Mabarot has a museum containing Archeological finds from the area.
History
During the occupation of the Promised Land by the Israelites the king of Hepher, along with thirty other Canaanite princes, was defeated by Joshua (Joshua 12,17). The Biblical town stood on the tell near the kibbutz of Mabarot. In the 10th century Solomon's court was supplied with victuals from the land of Hepher (1 Kings 4,10). Later the plain degenerated into marshland in which malaria was rife and permanent settlement impossible. In the 19th century this inhospitable region was inhabited only by a few Egyptian fellahin brought in by Ibrahim Pasha in 1830.
Settlements
In 1929 the Jewish National Fund acquired the area, and in the following year the draining of the marshes began. Thereafter the Hefer plain developed into one of the most fertile regions in Israel. Many settlements were established, beginning with Kefar Vitkin in 1933, and an agricultural college was founded. Some villages are named after famous personalities, like Kefar Monash (after the First World War general of that name) and Kefar Yedidia (after the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, known in Hebrew as Yedidia). The kibbutz of Mabarot has a museum containing Archeological finds from the area.
