Ma'ayan Harod

General view of the park The Well of Harod or Spring of Harod (עין חרוד) is a spring near the two kibbutzim called Ein Harod in the Jezreel Valley in Israel . In Arabic it is called `Ain Jalut (عين جالوت) meaning the Spring of Goliath . It is mentioned in the Book of Judges , chapter 7, where it is said that Gideon chose his men according to how they drank water from the Well of Harod. [1] In the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, the Mamluks defeated the Mongol army of Hulagu Khan which was under the command of Kitbuqa . It is now a national park called Ma`yan Ḥarod. 32°33′02″N 35°21′25″E  /  32.5506°N 35.3569°E  / 32.5506; 35.3569

General view of the park. The Gideon Cave and the slopes of Mount Gilboa can be seen in the right. Ma'ayan Harod ( ) or ʿAyn Jalut ([عين جالوت] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |lit= ( help ) , ) also known as Gideon's Fountain , is a spring on the southern border of the Jezreel Valley . Its traditional name, Ain Jalut, has been recorded since the 12th century; the name Jalut means "Goliath". In the 1920s it was Hebraized as Ein Harod after the land was purchased by the Palestine Land Development Company , following a connection to "Ein Harod" of the Book of Judges (7:1) made as early as 1856 by Arthur Penrhyn Stanley , who later became Dean of Westminster and a co-founder of the Palestine Exploration Fund . In addition to the connection to the Biblical events of Goliath's death (1 Samuel 17) and Gideon's defeat of the Midianites (Judges 7), it has also been proposed as the location of Saul's defeat of the Philistines (1 Samuel 29); scholarly discussion continues and none of these identifications can be certain. The spring emerges from a cave known today as "Gideon's Cave" on the foothills of Mount Gilboa . The famous 13th century Battle of Ain Jalut that took place near the spring is considered a major turning point in world history; A small Palestinian village was established in the area in the late 19th century; according to medieval chronicler Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad there had been a prosperous village there in the Middle Ages. Today the spring is part of the Ma'ayan Harod National Park , administered by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority . The itinerary of Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela: Dr Zunz on the Geography of Palestine . The History of the Mongol Conquests . Israel Nature and Parks Authority . : CS1 maint: url-status ( link )

Spring in the Jezreel Valley, Israel 32°33′02″N 35°21′25″E  /  32.5506°N 35.3569°E  / 32.5506; 35.3569 Ain Jalut in the 1870s PEF Survey of Palestine , surrounded by Zerin to the northwest, Qumya to the northeast, and Nuris and Rihaniyeh to the southeast Ma'ayan Harod, 2017 Ma'ayan Harod ( ) or Ain Jalut ( ‘ayn Jālūt , or عين جالود ‘ayn Jālūd , and ) is an all-year spring in the Jezreel Valley on the northwest corner of Mount Gilboa that was the location of the 13th-century Battle of Ain Jalut . This was a major turning point in world history that saw the Mamluks inflict the first of two defeats on the Mongols that ultimately halted their invasion of the Levant and Egypt . The traditional name of Ain Jalut has been in use since the 12th century, and is commonly believed to mean "Spring of Goliath", although alternative etymologies have suggested that it might be derived from the name Gilead, potentially an archaic name for Mount Gilboa. Other names given to the site include " En Harod " or "Ein Harod", a biblical place name that was associated with Ain Jalut in the 19th century, though subsequent scholarship, specifically the work of Israel Finkelstein and Oded Lipschits , has refuted this connection. Other associations have also been suggested, including in the 1841 Biblical Researches in Palestine , which linked it to the "spring in Jezreel" where Saul pitched his tent before his final battle, but this was rejected in 1847 and has gained little traction since. The spring is still sometimes known as the "Fountain of Jezreel", as well as "Gideon's Fountain". Medieval chronicler Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad there was a prosperous village at the site in the Middle Ages . It was captured by the Crusaders and retaken by Saladin in 579. A later Palestinian village was also established in the area in the late 19th century. In the 1920s, the Zionist activist Yehoshua Hankin purchased the surrounding area as part of the Sursock Purchases through the Palestine Land Development Company , and founded a kibbutz , which he called Ein Harod , near the spring. The site is today incorporated into the Ma'ayan Harod National Park , administered by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority . The itinerary of Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela: Dr Zunz on the Geography of Palestine . The History of the Mongol Conquests . It flows from a cavernous recess in the base of Jebel Fukû'a (Mount Gilboa), and spreads out at once into a fine limpid pool forty or fifty feet in diameter" . The New York Public Library . Israel Nature and Parks Authority .