The Manasseh Hills or hill country of Manasseh, directly derived from Hebrew: Menashe Heights ( he, רָמוֹת מְנַשֶּׁה, Ramot Menashe, Manasseh Heights), called Balad ar-Ruha in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, meaning "Land of Winds", is a geographical region in northern

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, located on the Carmel Range, between Mount Carmel and Mount Amir/

Umm al-Fahm Umm al-Fahm ( ar, أمّ الفحم, ''Umm al-Faḥm''; he, אוּם אֶל-פַחֶם ''Um el-Faḥem'') is a city located northwest of Jenin in the Haifa District of Israel. In its population was , nearly all of whom are Arab citizens of Is ...

. Regions of Israel

Etymology

The hill country of Manasseh or Manasseh hill country, sometimes fully capitalised, is named for its location within the allotment of the biblical

Tribe of Manasseh According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Manasseh (; Hebrew: ''Ševet Mənašše,'' Tiberian: ''Šēḇeṭ Mănašše'') was one of the Tribes of Israel. It is one of the ten lost tribes. Together with the Tribe of Ephraim, Manasseh also fo ...

, itself named after its biblical forefather,

Manasses Manasses or Manasseh (;churchofjesuschris ...

or Manasseh.

Geography

While Manasseh hill country (Ramat Menashe) is part of the mountain range, it is just 200 m above sea level on average, and peaks at 400 m. The plateau is bordered by the

Jezreel Valley The Jezreel Valley (from the he, עמק יזרעאל, translit. ''ʿĒmeq Yīzrəʿēʿl''), or Marj Ibn Amir ( ar, مرج ابن عامر), also known as the Valley of Megiddo, is a large fertile plain and inland valley in the Northern Distr ...

to the northeast,

Wadi Milh Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...

(the Yokne'am Stream) to the northwest,

Wadi Ara Wadi Ara ( ar, وادي عارة, he, ואדי עארה) or Nahal 'Iron ( he, נחל עירון), is a valley and its surrounding area in Israel populated mainly by Arab Israelis. The area is also known as the "Northern Triangle". Wadi Ara is ...

to the southeast, and the Nadiv Valley to the southwest. The Manasseh Hill Country , known in Hebrew as Ramot Menashe, was officially added to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

's World Network of

Biosphere Reserves Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their environments. MAB's work engag ...

in 2011. The region was credited with encompassing "a mosaic of ecological systems that represent the Mediterranean Basin's version of the global evergreen

sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or oblique to direct ...

ous forests,

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...

s and scrub ecosystem types."

Important Bird Area

A 2,500 ha tract of agricultural country with

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

trees, on the western slopes of Mount Carmel, some 5 km from the coast, has been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a population of

lesser kestrel The lesser kestrel (''Falco naumanni'') is a small falcon. This species breeds from the Mediterranean across Afghanistan and Central Asia, to China and Mongolia. It is a summer migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan and sometimes even to Indi ...

s, with some 40 breeding pairs estimated in 1991.

Localities

Localities in Ramot Menashe include * Dalia, a kibbutz *

Ein HaEmek Ein HaEmek ( he, עֵין הָעֵמֶק, ''lit.'' Eye of the Valley) is a community settlement in northern Israel. Located near Yokneam, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo Regional Council. As of it had a population of . History The vi ...

, a community settlement *

Ein HaShofet Ein HaShofet ( he, עֵין הַשּׁוֹפֵט, ''lit.'' Spring of the Judge) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Menashe Heights region around 25 km southeast of the city of Haifa, close to Yokneam, it falls under the jurisdic ...

, a kibbutz *

Gal'ed Gal'ed ( he, גַּלְעֵד, ''lit.'' Monument) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Menashe Heights with an area of 14,500 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo Regional Council. In it had a population of . History ...

, a kibbutz *

Ramat HaShofet Ramat HaShofet ( he, רָמַת הַשּׁוֹפֵט, ''lit.'' The Judge Heights) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Menashe Heights, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo Regional Council. In it had a population of . Etymology ...

, a kibbutz *

Ramot Menashe Ramot Menashe ( he, רָמוֹת מְנַשֶּׁה, ''lit.'' Menashe Heights) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located on the Menashe plateau between the Carmel mountain range and the Jezreel Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo ...

, a kibbutz

References

{{Coord, 32, 35, N, 35, 8, E, display=title Biosphere reserves of Israel Regions of Israel Geography of Israel Important Bird Areas of Israel

Etymology

Geography

Important Bird Area

Localities

See also

References