El Mona Garden, Mediterranean garden in Julis, Israel

El Mona Garden is a landscaped garden featuring Mediterranean and Southern Hemisphere plants arranged across different sections with stone fountains and winding pathways. The grounds include multiple seating areas and picnic spots positioned throughout the design.

Nagi Abbas, a Druze resident of Julis, established the garden on land belonging to his family in memory of his parents; its name commemorates his mother, Mona. His father, Rashid Abbas, was among the first Druze soldiers to serve in the Palmach and later in the IDF. The garden began as an orchard planted by his grandfather, Abu Rashid.

The garden's name, El Mona, commemorates Mona, the mother of founder Nagi Abbas, who laid it out on family land in Julis; his father Rashid Abbas was among the first Druze soldiers to serve in the Palmach and later the IDF. The grounds began as an orchard planted by his grandfather Abu Rashid, and the garden keeps that family memorial at its core.

The garden covers seven dunams laid out on several levels, so expect stairs and slopes between the terraces rather than one flat loop. Wear sturdy shoes for the wooden bridges and stone paths. The site is in Julis, and the entrance is free; the source gives no opening hours, so check locally before travelling.

The garden began as an orchard planted by Nagi Abbas's grandfather, Abu Rashid, on family land. Nagi Abbas later expanded it into a seven-dunam garden in memory of his mother Mona, whose name it bears; his father Rashid Abbas was among the first Druze soldiers to serve in the Palmach and later the IDF.