Tulip Hill, or
Givat Ha'tziv'onim, is located on a small hill overlooking the Mediterranean coast, between kibbutz Ma'agan Michael and the fishing ponds of kibbutz Ma'ayan Zvi. The site is a natural hill made of
kurkar, a local type of sandstone. Between February and April the hill is covered with tens of thousands of flowers, the main attraction being the
Tulipa agenensis, or
mountain tulip, a protected flower that is in danger of extinction. Countless other wild flowers make the hill a magical place and, in addition, many waterfowl can be seen in the surrounding fish ponds.
The hill is in bloom for most months of the year, depending on the season. The common anemone can be seen there between December and March, autumn narcissus between November and December, common cyclamen between October and June, Barbary nut between January and April, and Palestine iris between December and February. Mister Handmade in Israel and I visited the hill last March hoping to see the aforementioned mountain tulips, which supposedly bloom between February and April, but there were none to be seen. It was still a beautiful site though and unique in the amount of blooms in such a small area.
The hill is maintained by kibbutz Ma'agan Michael and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI). The narrow paths between the flower clusters are clearly marked and signs explain the history of the area. One such sign pointed out the cistern, above, dug in a low area of the hill for the purpose of trapping rainwater. The sides of the cistern were plastered to prevent water seepage.
Ma'agan, from Ma'agan Michael, means anchorage. Founder members of the kibbutz planned to settle on the seashore, motivated by the dream of establishing a Jewish fishing industry. The second part of the name comes from Michael Pollack, a Jewish industrialist from Russia and founder of the
Nesher cement plant.
In the south of the hill you can find a columbarium, above. The columbarium is an ancient building that to this day remains a mystery. Some say that it was used as a warehouse, for pigeon breeding (for both food and fertilizer), an ancient quarry and even burial caves. The columbarium on Tulip Hill in fact used to be a few metres to the east, but was relocated to the spot where it is today during the construction of the nearby Haifa-Tel Aviv highway (Highway 2).
The columbarium dates back to the Roman Byzantine period and is carved with niches.
We drove further up the road, past the fishing ponds of kibbutz Ma'ayan Zvi. The kibbutz was established in 1938 as part of the
tower and stockade settlement project by members of the
Maccabi youth movement who fled from Nazi Germany. At first it was called Ma'ayan but in 1945 the name Zvi was added in honor of Zvi Frank, a Zionist activist and one of the heads of the
Jewish Colonization Association which purchased the kibbutz lands.
We arrived at the Dalia Stream Swamp Nature Reserve, above, part of the contiguous moist habitats that once extended along the Carmel coastal plain. The natural water comes from the springs that emerge along the kurkar ridge east of the swamp. Thanks to these interesting conditions, the swamp has become a nature reserve, home to an aquatic plant called
hornwort, in addition to the rare
Phoenician rose,
Spear-leaved Dogbane and
saltmarsh morning glory. The nature reserve and the fishponds attract many aquatic birds and support a wide variety of animals, among them softshell turtles.
All attempts to transform the swamp into fishponds have failed due to the springs that impede regulation of the water level. The reserve is presently in the midst of a lengthy and significant rehabilitation process to improve its ecological and biological functioning.
About 3km south of the Dalia river swamp a steel pipeline enters the sea. It's purpose is to drain the fishponds into the sea and keep the pond water 300m from the beach.
Egyptian mongoose
I was excited to see a two Egyptian mongoose near the water's edge, above. The Egyptian mongoose is the only species of mongoose present in Israel. This species lives in non-desert habitats in most of Africa, southern Spain, and east throughout Israel and Egypt. In Israel they are common wherever there is water.
The grey, slinky animal lives in territories and eats a variety of prey including insects, snails, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Of course, mongoose are famous for preying on snakes, and in particular venomous snakes. "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" is a short story published in 1893 by Rudyard Kipling as part of a collection of short stories titled The Jungle Book. Rikki-Tikki is a mongoose, and this short story follows him on a crusade to protect a family and their garden from two very aggressive, huge black cobra snakes.
Our last stop of the day was at Hof Ma'ayan Zvi which, despite the rough and bumpy gravel road leading to the beach, is definitely worth a visit. The beach is quiet, beautiful and isolated - a hidden gem waiting to be explored.
We stayed for two nights at the Smadar Hotel and Winery, above, located on Zichron Ya'akov's old cobbled Hameyasdim Street. The Smadar Winery is a boutique winery in the courtyard of a stone house built in 1890. The winery makes aged red wines from vineyards that have been cultivated by the family for five generations. The hotel offers a heated indoor swimming pool, below, and rooms that overlook the small gardens. It was a lovely place for a short break.
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