Visit Tel Dan National Reserve

To visit Tel-Dan is one of the most attractive places to visit in the Holy Land. Right from the lush green vegetation that surrounds it to the adequecte, the Syrian ash tree, the spring at Mount Hermon and many more.

You will find this magnificent national reserve at the northeast corner of Israel, which is near the border of Lebanon and Syria.

It is situated in Israel in an area known as Galilee Panhandle at the base of Mount Hermon which is the headwaters of the Jordan.

Tel Dan is mentioned in the old testament as the capital of the kingdom of Israel and has its root during the Neolithic period (i.e. around 5000 B.C.E).

It is also known simply as Dan, and Tel el-Qadi in Arabic, and famous for its beauty.

It is also one of the best places to get to cool off during the hot summers.

Dan is connected to when the three main sources of the river went their separate ways. The name Dan is known in Hebrew as “Dayan, which means “Judge.”

Legend has it that what led to the separation of the three rivers was a result of each rivers boasting and bragging about being the most beautiful among all, and this get to an extent whereby God was asked to come down and determine the most superior.

However, it was said that God didn’t handpick any of these three rivers to be the most superior, but instead choose all three.

• Every visitor is always given a detailed leaflet written in multiple languages including English. The leaflet detailed different walks you can take to have a better experience of the city and make the most out of your journey.
• There is a wheelchair-accessible train which converges you to different locations in the excavations of Tel Dan. This gives rooms to enjoy the exquisite natural sight and the antiques to the fullest and keep you busy throughout your ride on the wheelchair-accessible
• There are two additional routes which are partially not accessible to wheelchair (the Long routes) and cover some walking in streaming water. So, prepare to wet your legs, and bring appropriate footwear
• Abraham’s gate – an excavation of a brick gate which was built in 1750 BC. The gate is made of brick was constructed, and it’s known as Abraham’s Gate. This was according to the story of Abraham travelling to Dan to rescue his nephew (Gen. 14:14.) The gate was later restored in the early 2000s and had since them been one of the places of attraction in Tel Dan.
• River Dan – the river flows along the national reserve and it is one of the three largest sources of River Jordan. Apart from the Biblical importance it holds,
• Additional Excavations: Tel Dan is famous for having an impressive and amazing archaeological dig: including ritual site and flour mill inside the thick wooded area. The excavations known to cover two different periods; the time when it was still named Laish, a Canaanite city founded about 4000 years ago, and when it was given a new name “Tel Dan”. During this period, it was inhabited by the descendants of Dan, son of Jacob.
• Visiting Tel dan at Winter – It usually snows in Tel Dan, and this makes the weather cold because of the river surrounding it, but fortunately, this only makes it more appealing and enticing to visit.

Visiting Tel dan is one of the Holy Land Tours you will never forget as it combines history and some extreme walking along the river.