Gamla nature reserve

Gamla, alt. sp. Gamala (Hebrew: גַּמְלָא, lit. the camel) was an ancient Jewish city on the Golan Heights. It is believed to have been founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars which was turned into a city under Hasmonean rule in 81 BCE. During the Great Revolt, it became an important stronghold for rebels and because of this Gamla is a symbol for the modern state of Israel and an important historical and archaeological site. It lies within the current Gamla nature reserve and is a prominent tourist attraction.

Aniam (Hebrew: אֲנִיעָם) is an Israeli settlement organized as a moshav, located in the Golan Heights. The settlement was built in 1978 and falls under the municipal jurisdiction of the Golan Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 502.The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

Yehudiya (Arabic: يهودية, lit. "Jewish") is an abandoned village and archeological site in the center of the Golan Heights, about 5 kilometers south of Katzrin within the Yehudiya Forest Nature Reserve.

Natur (Hebrew: נָטוּר) is an Israeli settlement in the southern Golan Heights. The settlement was established as a kibbutz in 1980, after Israel occupied the area in the 1967 Six Day War. In 2021, it had a population of 910 settlers. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

Yonatan (Hebrew: יוֹנָתָן) is an Israeli settlement and moshav located in the central Golan Heights. Initially a moshav shitufi, it underwent a privatization process to become a community settlement. The settlement is affiliated with the Hapoel HaMizrachi movement, and is under the jurisdiction of Golan Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 802.The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

Umm el-Qanatir, also spelled Umm el-Kanatir (Arabic: ام القناطر, romanized: Umm al-Qanāṭir, lit. 'mother of the arches'), also known as Ein Keshatot (Hebrew: עין קשתות, lit. 'spring of the arches'), is an archaeological site on the Golan Heights, whose main phase is dated to the mid-5th–8th centuries. Excavations have revealed a Roman-period settlement, first inhabited by pagans and later by Jews, who left behind the ruins of an exquisite synagogue when they abandoned the town after it being destroyed by the catastrophic 749 earthquake. The site is located 10 kilometres east of the Dead Sea Transform, one kilometre southwest of Natur.Identification attempts based on Jewish sources have led to two possible ancient names: Kantur, mentioned by Rabbi Menachem di Luzano in his book Ma'arikh (16th/early 17th century); and Qamtra, the name of a place mentioned in the Talmud and with a Jewish past dating back to the Byzantine period.

The Yehudiya Reserve (Hebrew: שמורת יהודיה) is a nature reserve in the central Golan Heights. With the area of 134 sq. km, it is the largest reserve in the Golans. The height differential of its landscape - from 200 meters below the sea level to 600 meters above - provides for high waterfalls. It is named after the ancient village of Yehudiya, one of many archaeological sites located within the reserve. Due to the varied scenery of streams, gorges with waterfalls, woodlands, rich wildlife, and volcanic basalt landscape it is a popular tourist destination in Israel.It is located between Katsrin in the north east and Bethsaida (north of the Sea of Galilee) in the south west, and between Road 888 in the west (Bethsaida junction – Customs House Junction) and the borders of the Gamla nature reserve and Road 869 in the south. Road 87 from Yehudiya Junction to Katsrin South Junction crosses it. Most of the area are covered by basalt strata. In many places there are hexagonal basalt columns. The most impressive display of them is in the Hexagon Pool on the Meshushim Stream (Nahal Meshushim, "Hexagons Stream"), although notable hexagonal formations exist by the Zavitan Stream (Nahal Zavitan) and the Ayit Waterfall.A part of the reserve (south of Yehudiya River towards the Daliyot River) is a training area for the Israeli Defense Forces, which sometimes causes fires. The Yehudiya forest area covers 66 square kilometers. It is rather sparse and trees cover about 10% of the woodland, and the rest is savanna-like landscape. The most prevalent tree is Quercus ithaburensis (Mount Tabor Oak).The reserve is abundant in water sources. Most important rivers (streams) are Meshushim, Zavitan, Yehudiya, Gamla, and Daliyot.

Kanaf (Hebrew: כָּנָף) is an Israeli settlement in the southern Golan Heights, organized as moshav shitufi, under the administration of Israel. One of four Golan settlements that overlook the Sea of Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Golan Regional Council. The settlement began to be populated in 1991, and had a population of 466 in 2021.The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

Ma'ale Gamla (Hebrew: מַעֲלֵה גַּמְלָא) is an Israeli settlement and moshav located in the west part of the Golan Heights, under the administration of Israel. It falls under the municipal jurisdiction of Golan Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 574.The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, but the United States and the Israeli government dispute this.

Highway 87 is a 35 km long east-west highway in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It extends from the northern shores of Lake Kinneret through the central Golan Heights. It begins in the west at Kfar Nahum/Capernaum and ends in the east at Bashan Junction.

Haspin (Hebrew: חַסְפִּין), widely known as Hispin, is a religious Israeli settlement organized as a community settlement located in the southern Golan Heights. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

Mechinat Avnei Eitan (Hebrew: מכינת אבנ"י אית"ן), also referred to as Leadership Yeshiva Academy in English, is a pre-military mechina which combines classical Yeshiva learning with the preparation for the service in the Israeli Defence Forces and leadership functions in Jewish communities. The mechina, the first of its kind for English speakers, was founded in 2004, on Moshav Avnei Eitan in the Golan Heights annexed by Israel in 1981.