Mount Nitai ( he, הר נתאי, ''Har Nitai''), sometimes spelled Nitay, is a mountain in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

situated west of the Sea of Galilee and north of the city of

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...

. Har Nitai is named after

Nittai of Arbela Nittai of Arbela ( he, נתאי הארבלי) was ''av beit din'' or vice-president of the Sanhedrin under the nasi Joshua ben Perachyah at the time of John Hyrcanus (r. 134–104 BCE). Name In Yer. Hag. II 76d he is called Mattai of Arbela, whi ...

. The cliffs of Nitai and Arbel are visible when looking southwest from

Capernaum Capernaum ( ; he, כְּפַר נַחוּם, Kfar Naḥum, Nahum's village; ar, كفر ناحوم, Kafr Nāḥūm) was a fishing village established during the time of the Hasmoneans, located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It ...

on the shore of the Sea of Galillee.

History

A valley with a stream through it separates Mount Nitai (''Har Nitai'') from Mount Arbel(''Har Arbel''). The valley is called today in Hebrew 'Arbel' and in Arabic ' Wadi Hamam' ("Valley of the Doves"). On the eastern slope of Mount Nitai, down next to the stream, is an archaeological site, Khirbet Wadi Hamam (Hurvat Vradim is the modern Hebrew name), where an ancient Jewish synagogue has been excavated. The site is identified by some as the ancient Jewish town of Arbel, which moved onto the opposite side of the valley, on the northern side of Mount Arbel, only in the Middle Ages.Arbel National Park and Nature Reserve
at the website of the

Israel Nature and Parks Authority The Israel Nature and Parks Authority ( he, רשות הטבע והגנים ''Rashut Hateva Vehaganim''; ar, سلطة الطبيعة والحدائق) is an Israeli government organization that manages nature reserves and national parks in Israel, ...

, accessed 17 July 2019 Atop Har Nitai is a grove of trees and the ruins of an ancient settlement, identified as the ancient village of ArbelThe New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, vol. 1, p. 87-88. The eastern boundary of the site is marked by the ruins of an ancient wall, and approximately 80 metres east of the wall is a sheer drop-off, or cliff.

References

{{Authority control Nitai