A Swim in the Golan’s Hexagon Pool

The Fellowship | July 31, 2015

The Bridge Blog: ^^Article Title^^ — Project Spotlight: Eshkol Trauma Center

Each week we bring you sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and more from another of Israel’s incredible sites. This week, The Times of Israel’s Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am take us to a great place to cool off from the summer heat – the Hexagon Pool in the Golan Heights:

Long ago, thick molten lava at a temperature of over 1,000 degrees centigrade streamed across the Golan Heights – then a flat expanse of plain. When it stopped flowing and began to cool, the solidified basalt rock started to crack. Six-sided basalt columns formed as a result of the cooling and were exposed after strong waters forced their way through the basalt and formed a gully, the Hexagon Riverbed. Today, the Hexagon Pool is one of the Golan Heights’ most remarkable attractions, combining magnificent six-sided cliffs with chill waters and luxurious foliage…
Because the Hexagon River is the longest of the perennial Golan streams, stretching south in the direction of the Sea of Galilee for 35 kilometers, it provides an excellent habitat for a variety of water foliage. Visitors enjoy the sight of brightly flowering oleander, in a variety of shades of pink, along with wild raspberry, willow, Syrian ash and Abraham’s hemp…