Cliffs of Arbel – Israel

Here is one of the most spectacular views in all of Israel, as the Sea of Galilee and much of surrounding area lays before you.

The Arbel summit sits 594 feet above sea level, while the Sea of Galilee is 653 feet below sea level – this creates a peak-to-valley prominence of 1,247 feet.

This is also the rough vicinity of the famed Horns of Hattin conflict.  On July 4, 1187, the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem fought the forces of the Kurdish Ayyubid sultan Salah ad-Din, known in the West as Saladin. Hattin is the name of a nearby extinct volcano.

The Muslim armies under Saladin captured or killed the vast majority of the poorly led Crusader forces. As a result, Muslims once again became the eminent military power in the Holy Land, re-conquering Jerusalem and several other Crusader-held cities. The battle ultimately prompted the Third Crusade, which began two years and brought Richard the Lion Hearted to the Holy Land.