About 120,000 Visit Israel’s Nature Reserves and National Parks on Saturday

About 120,000 people visited Israel’s nature reserves and national parks on Saturday, 31 October, according to the Nature and Parks Authority. The authority’s national attendance report also counted approximately 4,300 people who stayed at its overnight sites over the weekend. It did not provide separate visitor totals for individual sites. The leading daytime destinations included Tel Ashkelon, the Tel Afek complex of Yarkon National Park, Caesarea, Ein Afek Nature Reserve, Ein Hemed and the Hermon Stream–Banias Nature Reserve. Mishmar HaCarmel, Ma’ayan Harod, Mamshit and Eshkol Park were among the leading overnight destinations identified in the report. Tel Afek, near Rosh HaAyin, is one of Yarkon National Park’s two complexes, alongside the Yarkon Sources complex. Its attractions include an Ottoman fortress overlooking the coastal plain, archaeological remains, a lake and shallow wading pools. The fortress was built in 1572–1574 and was called Binar Bashi, meaning head of the springs. The familiar Antipatris name refers to the earlier Roman city. The Tel Afek complex also preserves structures from the British Mandate waterworks that pumped spring water to Jerusalem. Surviving parts of that system include the pumping station, settling and filtering pools, and a chlorination building.