BANIAS

The first impression is one of rushing water. This is the Banias Spring or Hermon River that rises from under a cave and is one of the three sources of the Jordan River.

Walk over the small bridges spanning the stream and approach the large cave cut into the face of the high mountain. On your right you can see four decorated niches carved into the rock face of the hill. One of them has a Greek inscription on it. These are the only remains of the Greek temple that once stood here, named Panias in honour of Pan, the Greek god of woods and nature. An earthquake destroyed this temple and the one built later at the same site by Herod's son, Philippus. The second temple and city were named Caesarion in honour of Augustus Caesar but were later known as Caesarea Philippi.

Banias was for a long time a strategic site as it lay astride the road from Akko and Tyre to Damascus. The Egyptians were defeated by the Seljuks here in 198 BCE.

Banias was a prosperous city in the early Arab era and was called the granary of Damascus. Its thick woods were a favourite hunting ground.

The Crusaders fortified their settlement, some of the ruins of which may be seen today. However, there are far more impressive and mighty ruins of the castle of Subeibe (Qala'at Namrud, or Castle of Nimrod), standing on a mountain-top 3 km. east of Banias (and approached along Road No. 989). There was protracted fighting between the Crusaders, Ayyubids and Mamelukes for control of this vital pass. The area round the castle is now a national park, and is open to the public. Entrance fee.

Back on the road down the Golan, take the left turning marked by an orange sign for ``Banias'' to the parking lot for the Banias waterfall. Walk about 100 m. to the steps leading down to the gorge. The smell of the damp, leafy vegetation follows you for the next 100 m. to the pool below the twin waterfalls. See how the small stream above, at Banias, has now become a swift flowing river of cool mountain water.

There is more to see so don't stay too long. Further down, in the water, there is a Syrian tank that rolled off the bank during the 1967 war.

The road coils lazily downhill, brushing past another memorial to Israeli soldiers next to a Syrian tank.

Take the right turn to Tel Dan, stopping, if you wish, at Ussishkin House - a nature and history museum of the flora, fauna geology and archaeology of the Hula Valley and surrounding areas, with audio-visual show. Open: Sun. - Thurs. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (in winter till 3.30 p.m.), Fri. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Entrance fee.

Continue along this turn-off to the Dan Nature Reserve. This is a wooded paradise around the Dan River. The green path signifies a half-hour walk through the dense vegetation, while the yellow one alerts you to an hour's meandering.

Open: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Entrance fee. There are several fish restaurants around here. Back on the main road (No. 99) you soon pass Kibbutz Dafna and Kfar Szold, the latter named after Henrietta Szold, the first president of Hadassah. The Tal camping ground is also to the left.

You will also see a signpost to the National Parks site of Hurshat Tal (Forest of Dew). The Dan River flows through the park, as green as an English meadow, while an artificial lake, in which you may swim, has been carved between many of the ancient oaks, some dating back 2,000 years. Legend has it that when 10 messengers of Mohammed halted here for an overnight stay, they found it a desolate stretch. They stuck sticks in the ground to tether their horses and when they woke up in the morning, they found that the sticks had sprouted into giant oaks.

The last part of the descent passes Kibbutz Hagoshrim (with rafting and kayaking facilities), Kibbutz Ma'ayan Barukh, at which you can see the Hula Valley Museum of Prehistory, with a rich collection of prehistoric tools and implements from the area and an ethnographic collection. Open: daily 9 a.m.-noon. Tel. (06)954611. Entrance fee. After crossing the bridge and the branch road to the textile plant, you are at a T-junction turn right, on Road No. 90 to Qiryat Shemona, left, and Tel Hai and Metulla, right. Cross over and enter Tel Hai.