Discover Israel

In the final battle where Saul (שאול = Shaul) fought against the Philistines, the Old Testament recounts that the Philistines approached Saul and his sons. On Mount Gilboa (הר הגלבוע = Har HaGilboa), Saul’s sons, Aminadab (אמינדב) and Malchishua (מלכישוע), were killed. When Saul saw the battle was lost, he fell on his sword, taking his own life. The chapter continues with a chilling account of how the Philistines hung the bodies of Saul and his sons on the walls of Beit Shean (בית שאן).

1 Samuel 31

In the 9th century BCE, Ahab, king of the Kingdom of Israel after its separation from Judea, married Jezebel, a Phoenician woman. Ahab introduced paganism into Israel, and the Prophet Elijah confronted him with the Law of Moses, blaming him for the three-year drought in the Land of Israel. This enraged Ahab, who sought to kill him. Elijah hid in this cave. For millennia, pilgrims from the three major religions have visited the cave to pray for fertility.

1 Kings 18:41

According to the Old Testament, the Prophet Elijah (אליהו = in Hebrew, Eliyahu) confronted the false prophets of Baal after a three-year drought, declaring that the God of Israel is the true God, while Baal is false. He challenged the false prophets to build an altar and pray for rain, which never came. In contrast, when Elijah prayed, God sent a great fire to consume the altar and brought heavy rains to Israel.
The name El-Muhraka in Arabic المحرقة, meaning "the place of burning," refers to the great fire sent by God upon Baal’s altar.
At the site stands a Carmelite monastery built in 1883 over Crusader ruins. Outside the monastery (as seen in the photo), there is a white stone statue depicting the Prophet Elijah defeating the pagans. The inscription in Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew emphasizes the word "Muhraka" in all three languages, meaning sacrifice.

1 Kings 18:41