Dan River (Israel)
Encyclopedia
The Dan River is the largest tributary
of the Jordan river, whose source is located at the base of Mount Hermon
. The river is so named after the Israelite
city of Dan, which was captured by the Tribe of Dan
during the Judges period
. The tribe of Dan conquered the city, then named Laish and then occupied by Canaanites. Until the 1967 Six Day War
, the Dan River was the only source of the river Jordan wholly within Israel
i territory. Its flow provides up to 238 million cubic meters of water annually to the Hulah Valley
. In 1966, this was a cause of dispute between Israeli water planners and conservationists, with the later prevailing after three years of court appeals and adjudication. The result was a conservation project of about 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) at the source of the river called the Tel Dan Reserve.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Jordan river, whose source is located at the base of Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon is a mountain cluster in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon and, at 2,814 m above sea level, is the highest point in Syria. On the top there is “Hermon Hotel”, in the buffer zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied...
. The river is so named after the Israelite
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
city of Dan, which was captured by the Tribe of Dan
Tribe of Dan
The Tribe of Dan, also sometimes spelled as "Dann", was one of the Tribes of Israel. Though known mostly from biblical sources, they were possibly descendants of the Denyen Sea Peoples who joined with Hebrews...
during the Judges period
Book of Judges
The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Hebrew bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its title describes its contents: it contains the history of Biblical judges, divinely inspired prophets whose direct knowledge of Yahweh allows them to act as decision-makers for the Israelites, as...
. The tribe of Dan conquered the city, then named Laish and then occupied by Canaanites. Until the 1967 Six Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, the Dan River was the only source of the river Jordan wholly within Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i territory. Its flow provides up to 238 million cubic meters of water annually to the Hulah Valley
Hulah Valley
The Hula Valley is an agricultural region in northern Israel with abundant fresh water. It is a major stopover for birds migrating along the Syrian-African Rift Valley between Africa, Europe, and Asia. The marshland around Lake Hula, a breeding grounds for malaria, was drained in the 1950s...
. In 1966, this was a cause of dispute between Israeli water planners and conservationists, with the later prevailing after three years of court appeals and adjudication. The result was a conservation project of about 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) at the source of the river called the Tel Dan Reserve.
External links
- Tel Dan http://www.jafi.org.il/education/noar/SITES/teldan.htm, The Department for Jewish Zionist Education