The Masrek Nature Reserve

The Masrek Nature Reserve is a small reserve in the Judaean Hills, which in ancient times were the allotment of the Tribe of Judah. The reserve is located at the top of Mount Masrek (Giv'at HaMasreq) and extends over an area of just 117 dunam (approximately 29 acres). In the past large Jerusalem pine trees (Pinus halepensis) grew here but many of those old trees have been destroyed by snow or by a fire that raged through the nature reserve in 2001. Now the remains of agricultural terraces and fruit trees, mainly olive and almond, can be seen alongside the woodland and pine trees. In April two rare varieties of orchid bloom there: Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum) and the Drone Bee-Orchid (Ophrys holoserica), whose beautiful flowers are brown, yellow and violet. In addition, a tall antenna has sprung up at the top of the hill.

Mister Handmade in Israel and I visited the reserve recently. From the car park we climbed up some stone steps to Mount Masrek. At the top our path lead us past communication trenches where the Arab defenders of Beit Mahsir took cover during Israel's War of Independence. Beside the trenches was a small cave hewn into the rock. The trenches were dug into soft yellow chalk rock of the kind referred to by geologists as Beit Meir formation, which is sandwiched here between layers of hard chalk rock. Greek strawberry trees (Arbutus andrachne), which grow easily in the soil created by this soft rock, can be seen scattered here and there throughout the reserve.

The trail made its way through an attractive plot of woodland and led us to a gorgeous observation area facing the coastal plain, below. Below us we could see the buildings of Moshav Beit Meir, and on a clear day it is possible to see as far as Ramla, Rehovot and even the high-rises of Tel Aviv.

From the observation area the trail emerged on to a short road that skirted the buildings of Moshav Beit Meir, which have spread all the way up to the nature reserve. A narrow path branched off the road and once again took us into the shade of the woodland trees, to the top of the hill. There we found a Muslim shrine built in honour of Sheikh Ahmad al-Ajami ("The Persian" in Arabic). According to tradition, Sheikh al-Ajami was one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad and actually served as his barber. Today the presence of a monument to a barber at a site called Masrek ("comb" in Hebrew) seems an amusing coincidence.

The main hall of the building is still standing but it is fenced off and you cannot enter as it is apparently in danger of collapse. Instead, I walked down the side of the building and peeked through a window. Beyond the double-arched entrance lies a large hall whose two small ceiling domes were once decorated to resemble the interior of shells. The mihrab (prayer niche) in the southern wall indicates the direction of prayer, towards Mecca.

Continuing on, the footpath left the plateau and made its way back down the hill, passing the remains of a bunker dating back to the War of Independence, above and below. From there it was just a short distance back to the flight of steps we had come up at the start of our route. 

A short drive from the reserve lead us to a lookout point that offered an excellent view of the Masrek Nature Reserve, above. Among the rockroses and thorny burnet bushes (Sarcopoterium spinosum), a number of signs describe the sequence of events in the area during Operation Maccabi, a military operation which took place between 8th-18th May 1948. The operation was designed to open the transportation route to Jerusalem, which had been under Arab siege for months. After three days of fighting the area of the Masrek Nature Reserve and the village of Beit Mahsir were captured. Operation Maccabi succeeded in gaining control over the road to Jerusalem: to open the road and keep it open for the transit of convoys, in order to renew transport between the coastal plain and Jerusalem.

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun., Nature Notes, Sharon's Souvenirs, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Our World Tuesday, Tuesday's Treasures, Pictorial Tuesday, My Corner of the World and All Seasons.