Yarkon National Park – Tel Afek area (Antipatris)

Main points of interest

• The squill trail
• Paddling pools
• Antipatris Fort
• The British water pumping station
• The recreation area and amusement facilities
• The winter pool
• The artificial lake
• Walking route from Tel Afek to the Yarkon springs via the water-lily pond

Details

• The Squill trail – a walking route along which squills (Drimia maritima) were planted in 2011. The inspiration for selecting squill to mark the trail came from the ancient practice of using the plant as boundaries between fields. The Squill Trail is a circular route passing through sites from the Roman, Ottoman and British periods.
• The Paddling Pools – above the artificial lake a few paddling pools were built at the end of 2012, and visitors are invited to paddle in them (bathing is prohibited in the lake itself).
• Antipatris Fort – the fortress at the top of the Tel was built between 1572 -1574 in the Ottoman period, and is called “Binar Bashi”, an Arabic corruption of the Turkish name Pinar Basha, literally – “fountainhead” or “head of the springs” (in Hebrew – Rosh Ha’Ayin). The fortress is known mistakenly as Antipatris Fort, after the Roman city that existed here. The function of the fortress was to guard the Afek Passage – the narrow pass that connected the hills of Shomron with the sources of the Yarkon river. This pass circumvented the marshy region and was part of the ancient Via Maris that traversed the length of the country.
• The British Water Pumping Station – a facility erected by the British in Palestine during the Mandate, which was part of the facility that conveyed water to Jerusalem. The water was collected in pipes at the Rosh Ha’Ayin springs and transferred to filtering pools for cleaning and then to a chlorination structure. Thereafter the water was conveyed to an underground reservoir and to pumping stations, and from there it was delivered to Jerusalem. The old structures seen in the Afek area are the pumping station, the sinking and filtering pools and the chlorination structure. Opposite there are buildings that served as offices and residence for the British soldiers who guarded the pumping station, which today are used by the Nature and Parks Authority.
• The Recreation Area and Amusement Facility the place can be used for picnics and barbeques..
• The Winter Pool – the winter pool in the Tel Afek area is a unique habitat containing a number of amphibians, primitive crustaceans and water insects. The aquarium standing in front of the pool displays the creatures that live in it when it is full of water.
• The Artificial Lake – a narrow peaceful waterway flows into the lake originating from the National Water Carrier pipeline. The lake was built in a natural basin located there, in order to create a suitable habitat for water fauna and for leisure and recreation purposes.
• Route from Tel Afek to the Sources of the Yarkon, via the Water-Lilly Ponds – the water-lily pond in the Yarkon National Park enchants the visitor’s eye due to its extensive river vegetation and blue water. The yellow water lily (Nuphar lutea) with its impressive flowers grows in the pond, as well as other plants and creatures unique to the area.