KUNEITRA LOOKOUT

Kuneitra is a ghost town located in Syria, below Merom Golan. It can be seen from this popular viewpoint on Route 98, some 15 kilometers south of Mas'ada, and 6 kilometers south of Merom Golan.

Until 1967, Kuneitra was the most important town in the Syrian Golan, before being conquered by Israel on the last day of the Six-Day War. Retaken by Syria in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War, it fell back into Israeli hands during a counter-offensive. The ceasefire called for by the international community put an end to this conflict, with the withdrawal of Israeli troops, who decided to totally destroy the city by withdrawing in 1974. Today, it lies within the UN-controlled demilitarized zone separating Israel from Syria. The Syrian government wished to leave it in its destroyed state as proof of the damage sustained during the conflict.

At the rear of the ghost town, a new town bearing the same name has been built: New Kuneitra. New Kuneitra is clearly visible from Mount Hermon to the north.

Also worth seeing, opposite the Lookout, is a UN camp set up on the edge of the border and, to the right, Mount Bnei Rasen and its wind farm. At the foot of the Lookout, an educational volcano park, Avital Volcanic Park, was opened in 2013. It is of little interest, however, and is not really promoted or maintained by the local and national authorities.