Na'aman River

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
(Redirected from Belus River)
Jump to: navigation, search
File:Afek223.jpg
Nahal Na'aman

Na'aman River, in Hebrew Nahal Na'aman (Hebrew: נחל נעמן‎), is a stream in northwestern Israel. To the ancient writers Pliny, Tacitus and Josephus it was known as the Belus or Belos River of Phoenicia.[1][2]

The Na'aman River today originates from springs near Ein Afek, primarily Ein Nymphit, and flows through the Zebulun Valley from south to north, before emptying into the Bay of Haifa (formerly Bay of Acre) south of Acre (Akko) on the Mediterranean Sea.[citation needed]

History

Once known as Belus or Belos, the river is mentioned by Isidore of Seville.[3]According to the legend, this is where glass-making was invented. Tacitus also mentions glassmaking at the Belus. Pliny the Elder (Natural History, 5.19), using the name 'Pacida', mentions that the river flowed from Lake Cendevia (now below Mount Carmel) for 5 miles (8.0 km) to the sea near "Ptolemais Ace" (Acre, Israel), and that it was celebrated for its vitreous sands. The name is based on Baal.[4]

File:PikiWiki Israel 13847 Cruising in Naaman..jpg
Rowing on Na'aman River, c. 1940-1950

Wetlands

The En Afek Nature Reserve near the Haifa Bay suburb of Kiryat Bialik, is the last remnant of the Nahal Na'aman wetlands.[5]

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Etymologiae
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. En Afek Nature Reserve


Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.