32°24′00″N34°52′59″E / 32.400°N 34.883°E /32.400; 34.883
TheSharon plain (Hebrew:הַשָּׁרוֹן,romanized: HaSharon;Arabic:سهل الشارون,romanized: Sahl al-Shārūn) is the central section of theIsraeli coastal plain. The name Sharon is derived from the Akkadian word "A-Sharanu" which literally translates to a "thick forest," which the area was until its deforestation in the late 19th century. The plain lies between theMediterranean Sea to the west and theSamarian Hills, 15 km (9.3 mi) to the east. It stretches fromNahal Taninim, a stream marking the southern end ofMount Carmel in the north, to theYarkon River in the south, at the northern limit ofTel Aviv, over a total of about 90 km (56 mi). The level of the Sharon plain is connected to the level of the Mediterranean Sea by theSharon Escarpment.
Parts of the plain are included in theCentral,Haifa andTel AvivDistricts of Israel.
The Sharon valley is mentioned in anancient Egyptian stele ofAmenhotep II,[1] and as the Sharon field containing bothJaffa andDor on theSarcophagus of Eshmunazar II.[2]
The Plain of Sharon is mentioned in the Bible (1 Chronicles 5:16, 27:29;Book of Isaiah 33:9, 35:2, 65:10), including the famous reference to the enigmatic "Rose of Sharon" (Song of Songs 2:1).[3]
Excavations were performed before road construction in the north part of Sharon plain. NearEn Esur, an earlyBronze Age planned metropolis, including a temple, stretching over 65ha for 6,000 inhabitants, was discovered. Under the 5000-year-old city, an even older settlement from 7000YBP has been found, according to a report from the antiquities office of Israel on 6 October 2019.[4]
The area was historically a thick oak forest[5] and was described as such by accounts written during theBattle of Arsuf, a battle between the forces ofRichard the Lionheart andSaladin during theThird Crusade. The battle took place in the "Forest of Arsuf" in the Sharon Plain.[6]
Before the 20th century, the region was covered by the Forest of Sharon, an openwoodland dominated by Mount Tabor oak(Quercus ithaburensis), which extended fromKfar Yona in the north toRa’ananna in the south. The area was called al-Ghāba inArabic, “The forest, e.g. the great Oak forest of Sharon”.[7] The local Arab inhabitants traditionally used the area forpasture,firewood and intermittentcultivation. Thedeforestation of the region began during the rule of the Egyptian Ibrahim Pasha in the 19th century, who had ordered that the oaks be razed so their wood could be used for heating and construction. Later, throughoutWorld War I, the oaks were cut off in order to provide heating for the engines of Turkish trains of theOttoman Empire that passed by.[8]
Prior to 1948, the region was subordinate toJaffa Subdistrict andTulkarm Subdistrict. Historically, while some parts of the Sharon plain were very fertile, much of it was swampy and malarial, a condition exacerbated by massiveOttoman deforestation.Zionist immigrants arrived in the early20th century and populated the region with many settlements.[9]
By 1945,Jaffa Subdistrict had a population of 373,800, consisting of 71% Jewish residents and 29% Palestinian Muslim and Christian residents.Tulkarm Subdistrict had a population 86,120, consisting of 17% Jewish residents and 83% Palestinian Muslim and Christian residents. During the1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Arab population of the region left or was expelled almost entirely.[citation needed].
In 2008, it was the most densely populated region of Israel.[10]
The Sharon Plain has been the focus of extensive archaeological excavations , revealing a long sequence of human inhabitance from the Neolithic period to the Islamic era. The region's strategic location along ancient trade routes, combined with its fertile soils and access to fresh water, made it an important area of human development throughout history.
The earliest findings of human settlement in the Sharon Plain dates to theNeolithic period. The most significant prehistoric site is'En Esur, in the northern Sharon Plain at the entrance of theWadi Ara pass.[11] This large, multi-level proto-historic site contains a sequence of settlements from theNeolithic throughEarly Chalcolithic,Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age periods. The site is in an area of surrounded by many springs and fertile ground, demonstrating early human adaptation to the region's environmental advantages.[12]
Large scalearchaeological excavations at'En Esur and 'En Zippori inLower Galilee have uncovered hundreds of sling stones dating to the Early Chalcolithic (5800–4500 BCE). The number of finds and standardisation in shape and size was interpreted by archaeologists as evidence of organised production, possibly centralised, and as a sign of warfare.[13]
The Sharon Plain became heavily populated during theMiddle Bronze Age, with several major fortified cities established across the plain. Major cities includedTel Afek,Tel Zeror,Tel Burga, and Tel Poleg, which formed part a network of four fortified sites of theMiddle Bronze Age in the Sharon Plain.[14]
Tel Zeror, located approximately four kilometers east of modernHadera, was the first major tel in the Sharon Plain to undergoarcheological excavation. Japanese expeditions in the1960s uncovered a fortified, 50-dunam city with evidence of continuous human habitation throughout multiple ages.[15]
| Cities | Regional councils |
|---|---|
|
Media related toSharon at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
.svg)
