Mount Tabor has a long and distinguished history in Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition. We enter through the reconstructed Crusader gate known as the Gate of the Wind, which is also referred to as the Damascus Gate, into the area around the Catholic Church of the Transfiguration, which forms part of the Franciscan monastery complex at the site. To the right of the trail is a hostel for pilgrims, a clock tower, and, adjacent to the parking lot, a small local museum. To the left of the car park is a sun dial with ruins beside it. The foundation stone for the impressive church we see today was laid in 1919 on the site where a Crusader church had once stood, and building was completed in 1924, in accordance with the plans drawn up by the Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi. The two towers in the façade have prayer niches in honor of Moses (the North Chapel) and Elijah (the South Chapel). Inside the building remains of the earlier churches, mosaics and additional rooms can be seen. In the center of the interior is a fine mosaic that portrays the transfiguration. Outside the church are fortified strongholds with lookout platforms that provide a view of the magnificent landscapes of the Jezreel Valley, Lower Galilee, the Valley of Kesullot, Mount Carmel, Mount Gilboa and the surrounding communities.
In Jewish tradition, as recorded in the Book of Judges, Mount Tabor is linked to the period of Deborah the Prophetess (Dvora) and Barak Ben Avinoam, when the Israelite tribes gathered at the site in preparation for the battle against Sisera, commander of the army of King Yavin (Jabin) of Canaan (Judges 4: 6, 12, 14). Although this is not explicitly stated in the Bible, Gideon’s battle against the Midianites would also appear to have taken place here, at the foot on the hill (Judges 7). During the Second Temple period, the Tabor hilltop was one of the sites on which beacons were lit to announce the start of a new month in the Hebrew calendar. In Roman times, Mount Tabor was fortified by Yosef Ben Matityahu (Josephus) and captured during the First Jewish-Roman War (the Great Revolt). Ben Matityahu had built a fortified position here on the top of the hill and surrounded it with a thick wall, but in the battle that took place at the site, the Romans tricked the Jews: when water supplies ran out, the Roman commander assured the Jewish defenders that if they surrendered no harm would befall them, but when they did so they were killed. In Crusader times, too, battles raged on Mount Tabor. Initially it was fortified and a church was built on it, but like other sites at this period, it changed hands repeatedly until it was captured and destroyed by the Mamluks.