Mount Carmel is in the Holy Land

Hebrew: הר הכרמל‎

Karem El/Har Ha'Karmel

Name origin: Literally, in Hebrew: God's vineyard/garden

Arabic: الكرمل/جبل مار إلياس‎

Kurmul/Jabal Mar ElyasMountain Range

Name origin: Mount St Elijah in Arabic

Photo shows Mt. Carmel at sunset. From now until the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on July 16th, we will be sharing some of the most interesting history and spirituality of the "Carmelites on Mt. Carmel." Please post your questions!

A little introduction to Mt. Carmel.

The phrase Mount Carmel has been used in three distinct ways:

• To refer to the 39 km-long (24-mile long) mountain range, stretching as far in the southeast as Jenin.
  
• To refer to the northwestern 19 km (12 miles) of the mountain range.
  
• To refer to the headland at the northwestern end of the range.
  
  The Carmel range is approximately 6.5 to 8 km (4 to 5 miles) wide, sloping gradually towards the southwest, but forming a steep ridge on the northeastern face, 525.4 m (1,742 ft) high.

The Jezreel Valley lies to the immediate northeast. The range forms a natural barrier in the landscape, just as the Jezreel Valley forms a natural passageway, and consequently the mountain range and the valley has had a large impact on migration and invasions through the Levant over time.

The mountain formation is an admixture of limestone and flint, containing many caves, and covered in several volcanic rocks

The sloped side of the mountain is covered with luxuriant vegetation, including oak, pine, olive, and laurel trees.

Next posting will talk about Mt. Carmel in the Old Testament.