Hurshat Tal, Nature reserve and national park in Upper Galilee, Israel
Hurshat Tal is a national park and nature reserve on Highway 99 east of Kiryat Shmona, in the northern Hula Valley. A stream branching from the Dan River crosses the site over a rocky bed of small cascades and pools, bordered by rough boulders, and feeds a swimming pool. About 240 old Valonia oaks (Quercus macrolepis) grow here, some 350–400 years old; roughly 60 of them stand in the undeveloped reserve section.
Until 1948 the grove served as a prayer site for residents of nearby villages such as al-Khisas and al-Mansura, and the tomb of Sheikh Ali stood by the oaks. In the 1950s the state recognised the grove's value, and in May 1956 it was included in a plan for 50 nature reserves. Landscape architects Lipa Yahalom and Dan Zur designed ponds and water channels fed by the Dan River; the site opened in June 1963.
The Arabic name Sejrat el-Asara ("Grove of the Ten") comes from a legend that ten of Muhammad's escorts stuck their staffs into the ground to tie their horses, and the staffs took root as trees. Until 1948 the grove served as a prayer site for residents of nearby villages, including al-Khisas, al-Mansura and al-Sanbariyya, who came to the grave of Sheikh Ali beside the oaks.
Hurshat Tal lies on Highway 99 east of Kiryat Shmona, at the northern end of the Hula Valley. The recreation grounds hold bungalows, cabins, a camping area for tents and a caravan park, plus a stream from the Dan River feeding a swimming pool with water slides and a fishing park. The undeveloped nature reserve, with about 60 of the 240 oaks, is kept apart from the landscaped grounds.
The grove's Arabic name, Sejrat el-Asara ("Grove of the Ten"), comes from a legend that ten of Muhammad's escorts stuck their staffs into the ground here to tie their horses, and the staffs took root as trees. The old oaks were spared for centuries because the site was considered holy, and a Galilean sheikh named Ali was buried beside them.
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