Battle of Mishmar HaEmek

Midrakh Oz (Hebrew: מִדְרַךְ עֹז, lit. 'Foothold of Strength') is an agricultural moshav in northern Israel. Located in the Jezreel Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 828, both religious and secular Jews.

Naghnaghiya (Arabic: النغْنغية, Al-Naghnaghiyya) was a Palestinian Arab village, 28.5 kilometers (17.7 mi) southeast of Haifa. It was depopulated before the outbreak of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Al-Mansi (Arabic: المنسي, also called 'Arab Baniha Arabic: عرب بنيها) was a Palestinian village in the Haifa Subdistrict. It was occupied on 12 April 1948 by Israeli troops during the Battle of Mishmar HaEmek. The village was inhabited by Turkmens.

Al-Ghubayya al-Fawqa was a Palestinian Arab village in the Haifa Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the 1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 8, 1948, during the Battle of Mishmar HaEmek. It was located 28 km southeast of Haifa. The village was partly inhabited by Turkmens.

Ayn al-Mansi (Arabic: عين المنسي, Ein el Mansî) was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Jenin of the Mandatory Palestine. It was depopulated as a result of a military attack in mid-April during the 1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine.

Al-Ghubayya al-Tahta was a Palestinian Arab village in the Haifa Subdistrict, located 28 km southeast of Haifa. It was depopulated during the 1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 8, 1948, under the Battle of Mishmar HaEmek. The village was partly inhabited by Turkmens.

Tel Megiddo (Hebrew: תל מגידו; Arabic: مجیدو, Tell el-Mutesellim, lit. "Mound of the Governor"; Greek: Μεγιδδώ, Megiddo) is the site of the ancient city of Megiddo, the remains of which form a tell (archaeological mound), situated in northern Israel near Kibbutz Megiddo, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) south-east of Haifa, at the western edge of Jezreel Valley. Megiddo is known for its historical, geographical, and theological importance, especially under its Greek name Armageddon. During the Bronze Age, Megiddo was an important Canaanite city-state. During the Iron Age, it was a royal city in the Kingdom of Israel. Megiddo drew much of its importance from its strategic location at the northern end of the Wadi Ara defile, which acts as a pass through the Carmel Ridge, and from its position overlooking the rich Jezreel Valley from the west. Excavations have unearthed 20 strata of ruins since the Neolithic phase, indicating a long period of settlement. The site is protected as Megiddo National Park and is a World Heritage Site.

The Battle of Megiddo (fought 15th century BC) was fought between Egyptian forces under the command of Pharaoh Thutmose III and a large rebellious coalition of Canaanite vassal states led by the king of Kadesh. It is the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail. Megiddo is also the first recorded use of the composite bow and the first body count. All details of the battle come from Egyptian sources—primarily the hieroglyphic writings on the Hall of Annals in the Temple of Amun-Re at Karnak, Thebes (now Luxor), by the military scribe Tjaneni. The ancient Egyptian account gives the date of the battle as the 21st day of the first month of the third season, of Year 23 of the reign of Thutmose III. It has been claimed that this was April 16, 1457 BC, according to the Middle Chronology, although other publications place the battle in 1482 BC or 1479 BC. The Egyptians routed the Canaanite forces, which fled to safety in the city of Megiddo. Their action resulted in the lengthy siege of Megiddo. By reestablishing Egyptian dominance in the Levant, Thutmose III began a reign in which the Egyptian Empire reached its greatest expanse.

The Megiddo Regional Council (Hebrew: מועצה אזורית מגידו, Mo'atza Azorit Megido) is a regional council in northern Israel encompassing land on the Menashe Plateau, and partly in the Jezreel Valley. The council is bounded by the city of Yokneam Illit to the north, and the Carmel mountain range to the east, and houses about 9600 people on nine kibbutzim, and four moshavim located in its municipal territory. The council is named after the ancient city of Megiddo, with the remains of this ancient city being located in the proximity of kibbutz Megiddo, in the territory of the council. The Head of the Regional Council is Hanan Erez, a member of kibbutz Hazorea who was elected to office in 2004.

This Battle of Megiddo is recorded as having taken place in 609 BC when Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt led his army to Carchemish (northern Syria) to join with his allies, the fading Neo-Assyrian Empire, against the surging Neo-Babylonian Empire. This required passing through territory controlled by the Kingdom of Judah. The Judaean king Josiah refused to let the Egyptians pass. The Judaean forces battled the Egyptians at Megiddo, resulting in Josiah's death and his kingdom becoming a vassal state of Egypt. The battle is recorded in the Hebrew Bible, the Greek 1 Esdras, and the writings of Josephus. While Necho II gained control of the Kingdom of Judah, the Assyrian forces lost to the Babylonians & Medes at the Fall of Harran, after which Assyria largely ceased to exist as an independent state.

Maximianopolis (Ancient Greek: Μαξιμιανόπολις) was an ancient city in Palaestina Secunda, within the Byzantine Empire. The name Maximianopolis (City of Maximian) was given to it by Diocletian, in honour of his co-emperor Maximian. It was located 17 M.P. from Caesarea and 10 M.P. from Jezreel. The town earlier bore the names Legio and Caporcotani.Its site is near Lejjun, Israel.

Mishmar HaEmek (Hebrew: מִשְׁמַר הָעֵמֶק, lit. "Guard of the Valley") is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the western Jezreel Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Megiddo Regional Council. Mishmar HaEmek is one of the few kibbutzim that have not undergone privatization and still follow the traditional collectivist and socialist kibbutz model. In 2021, it had a population of 1,267. At least six former members of the Knesset hail from Mishmar HaEmek. The area was acquired by the Jewish community as part of the Sursock Purchase. The kibbutz was established in 1926 by members of the HaShomer HaTzair ("The Young Guard") movement, who mostly came from Europe to Mandatory Palestine during the Third Aliyah. It was the first Jewish settlement in the southern part of the Jezreel Valley, built as part of Jewish National Fund efforts to settle the valley. It quickly became a center of HaShomer HaTzair, especially after the Kibbutz Arzi chose to build their first regional school in the kibbutz. As a HaShomer HaTzair stronghold, the kibbutz housed many pioneers of other kibbutzim and instructed them before they established their own kibbutzim. In April 1948, during the 1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine, the kibbutz was the epicenter of the Battle of Mishmar HaEmek, successfully repelling the first major offensive of the Arab Liberation Army commanded by Fawzi al-Qawuqji. The economy of the kibbutz has historically been focused on agriculture. Since 1950, it has also operated a plastics factory in partnership with Kibbutz Gal'ed, which has become a central part of the kibbutz's economy. The forest near the kibbutz was planted by its residents and is listed as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. Two ancient settlements dating back to prehistoric times have been found in the vicinity of the kibbutz.