“KKL-JNF has invested extensive resources in making the area accessible so as to make visits to the site an even more memorable experience.”
n preparation for the flowering season of the Gilboa iris, the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund has set up an information point for visitors who come to northern Israel to see the magnificent carpets of flowers. The information point will provide services for visitors for three weeks, until March 24th.
The slopes of
Mount Gilboa climb gently up from the Jenin Valley until they culminate in a vertical wall of rock 500 meters in height that looms above the Harod Valley and the Jordan Valley. In springtime the area is covered with multicolored flowers, of which the unique Gilboa iris, one of Israel’s most beautiful blooms, is the most prominent.
The Gilboa iris blooms in February and March, producing a very large deep-violet flower about twenty centimeters in diameter, which is supported by a stem between forty and ninety centimeters in height. William Amherst Hayne collected this plant on Mount Gilboa for the first time in 1876, and it is named after him: Iris haynei. It is found mainly in the area of Mount Gilboa and slightly to the south.
The KKL-JNF tourist information point will provide the public with extensive details about sites on Mount Gilboa where the iris can be observed in bloom.
“The general public is invited to Mount Gilboa to enjoy the sight of one of our country’s most beautiful flowers,” said KKL-JNF Northern Region Public Relations Representative
Etti Azulai. “Our staff will place themselves at the visitors’ disposal and deal with all issues and questions. This is an amazing time of year for hikes and excursions. KKL-JNF has invested extensive resources in making the area accessible, so as to make visits to the site an even more memorable experience.”