Megiddo, Israel

(Israel Twitter)Megiddo,מְגִדּוֹ‎‎ المجیدو, مجیدو, is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Jezreel Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 356.

The kibbutz was founded in 1949 by Holocaust survivors, partisans and fighters from Poland and Germany. It is located near the intersection between highways 65 (from Hadera to Afula) and 66 (going from Haifa south to Judea and Samaria), which is called the Megiddo Junction. The junction is the site of a bus terminal and once a large military prison for Palestinians.

Located near the site of the several Battles of Megiddo and Tel Megiddo, a rich archeological site. In the Israelite time it was a town, part of the tribe of Manasseh (1 Chronicles 7:29). In 2005, Israeli archeologists discovered the remains of an ancient church, perhaps the eldest in the Holy Land under the grounds of the military prison. Authorities are speculating about moving the prison so the site can be accessible to tourists.

In apocalyptic literature, Mount Megiddo, the hill overlooking the valley where the current kibbutz is located, is identified as the site of the final battle between the forces of good and evil at the end of time, known as Armageddon (mentioned in the New Testament in Revelation 16:16).