How do you cross the Carmel Mt.? With Salt!

Nir Topper
May 5, 2024
2 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

Wadi Milk is a popular nickname originating from the British Mandate era, given to the wadi route that runs along Highway 67 and Highway 70. Connecting Zichron Ya'akov and Fureidis in the west, the wadi follows the channel of Nahal Dalia, continues upstream along Nahal Tut (a tributary of Nahal Dalia), and reaches its highest point at the Elyakim Interchange, situated on the Mount Carmel watershed. From there, the route descends through Nahal Yokneam until it opens into the Jezreel Valley below Yokneam. This wadi's route is truly dramatic, as it is one of only three passes that allow for the crossing of the Mount Carmel ridge, connecting the center of Israel to its north.

The name "Milk" is a distortion of the word "Milh" (salt), named after the salt caravans that passed through the wadi on their way from the salt ponds in Atlit to Damascus. On British maps, it appears as "Wadi Milh." The British paved the road in the 1930s during the Arab Revolt, from the Yokneam area to Bat Shlomo. The stretch from Bat Shlomo to Zichron Ya'akov had already been paved by the Baron's officials.

Salt production in the Atlit area continues to this day. The "Salt of the Earth" company, founded in Atlit in 1922, still operates there, although the bulk of its production has relocated to a site in Eilat. Thus, from the very place where salt caravans departed thousands of years ago, salt is still being produced today. It seems that even in the realm of salt, the Land of Israel preserves a deeply rooted history.

And one more thing about salt: the English word "Salary" is derived from the Latin word salarium, which originates from sal, meaning "salt." The same derivation exists in French (salaire), Spanish, and Italian (salario)—all inheritors of this single Latin root. The traditional explanation is that Roman soldiers were paid their wages in salt, or at least received a dedicated allowance to purchase it. The immense value of salt stemmed primarily from its ability to preserve food in a world without refrigeration and in a hot climate—a dramatic, and very real, survival challenge. Throughout various periods in history, salt was a highly precious commodity, often compared to gold in its value. Salt controlled trade, armies, and the very existence of states—not because of its taste, but because it meant survival.

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Image 1: Map of Wad Millek. Source; Google Maps &