A sacred location in Mount Carmel
In the Canaanite culture, places that are high were considered to be holy.
The mountain was considered sacred from at least the fifteenth century BC. According to the book of Kings, an altar was built to honor Yahweh on the mountain that had fallen into ruins but was rebuilt by Elijah.
In Jewish, Islamic and Christian beliefs, Elijah is associated with the mountain and he is regarded as sometimes living on the mountain in a grotto. In the Book of Kings, Elijah was believed to challenge 450 prophets to a contest at the altar on Mount Carmel to decide whose deity was in charge of the kingdom of Israel.
According to the Bible, the challenge was to convince a deity light a sacrifice by fire but all challengers failed at this. Afterward, Elijah poured water on his sacrifice, prayed and then fire fell from the sky and consumed the sacrifice.