Megiddo is the hill that gave the world the word Armageddon, which comes from Har Megiddo, the mount of Megiddo, and it sits where the Jezreel valley opens to the coast road, a little north of the Wadi Ara pass. The tell is a long mound made of some twenty layers of ruined cities piled on top of each other, and from its top the whole green plain stretches north to the hills of Nazareth. Today it is inscribed on the World Heritage list together with two other biblical mounds.
The reason for so many cities is geography. Whoever held Megiddo controlled the narrow pass through the Carmel ridge on the Via Maris, the road between Egypt and Mesopotamia, and so armies met here again and again. Pharaoh Thutmose III won a famous battle on the plain around 1457 BC, recorded in the temple at Karnak, and in 609 BC King Josiah of Judah was killed here when he tried to stop Pharaoh Necho marching north. The excavations reveal gates, a palace, stables or storehouses from the time of the Israelite kings, and a tunnel dug to reach a spring from inside the city walls, which you can walk through today. There is a good visitor centre, and the site gets very hot, so bring water and a hat.
The riding here is made up of fast roads and small, farm-lined lanes. Highway 66 and Highway 65 carry heavy traffic, with trucks, buses and impatient drivers, so concentrate and ride defensively, and rely on the smaller roads across the valley for more relaxed motoring through fields of cotton, sunflowers and wheat, with fish ponds and kibbutz farms. The road through Wadi Ara towards Umm al-Fahm climbs gently through hills, with views to the sea from higher points. Spring is the best time, when the fields are green and the flowers are out; summer is hot and hazy, and the air feels heavy in the valley.
Fuel is easy to find on the main roads, with stations at the junctions and in the larger towns such as Afula, Umm al-Fahm and Haifa, but you should check local conditions and any security advice before choosing routes, since the situation in the region can change quickly. Cafes and simple restaurants are on the main roads, and hummus, fresh bread and strong coffee are always on offer.