A roadtrip through the treasures of the Dead Sea and the Negev Desert
In the misty distance the mountains of Jordan are silhouetted, and ahead a body of water, the Dead Sea, and then the barren, bare expanse stretches down to my feet between rocky hills and dry ravines. "People have been living in the desert for thousands of years," Alan continues, "the biggest problem besides food is water. You need water every day. You can live without food for three, four, five days, maybe weeks, but you need water every day. How do you get water, you only have water for a few months of the year," the guide concludes, bringing us closer to the level of adaptation of those who live in the bowels of the desert, the Bedouins. Ahead a trip to get to know the Negev (and its people) better.This arid and inhospitable desert, which begins where the "sea of salt" ends, between the mountains of Judea and Gaza to the north, and the Sinai Peninsula to the south.
This region has been a meeting point of cultures, empires and religions since biblical times. On the western shore of the Dead Sea, archaeological evidence has revealed the presence of settlements since ancient times. "Why? Why did people come thousands of years ago to a desert?. Not just coming to a desert, but they fought to stay here, for thousands of years. This is not normal...", Alan continues. A sun-scorched land, which hardly makes us think of a "comfortable" life.The world has wanted to be tamed since antiquity.
Jerusalem, diverse, mystical and sacred.
A road trip searching for secrets of the desert can start in Jerusalem (accessible from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport, 45 minutes), the Holy City of the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. From the Mount of Olives Jerusalem (a panoramic view of the Old City) is seen, terraced in hills that have been populated by history, cultures and religions. A spiritual city to which pilgrims come from different parts of the world and different religions in search of the places of their faith. Jerusalem is diverse and the different neighbourhoods (Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Armenian) The visitor's curiosity is aroused when he hears the bells of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, intermingled with the calls to prayer from the mosques and the shofar Jewish, understanding that this diversity is the fruit of thousands of years and is still alive today..
The visit to the Old Town can be accompanied by a visit to the Museum of Israel in JerusalemThe museum is recognised as one of the world's leading museums of art and archaeology. In the museum you will find the Shrine of the Book with the Dead Sea Scrolls (earliest known biblical manuscripts). Among them, the Isaiah Scroll (the oldest of all, 100 B.C.), which along with other manuscripts was found in a Qumran Cave, north of the Dead Sea. You can also see Jerusalem in miniature, from the same perspective you had from the Mount of Olives. All this in the 2000 m² model of the Old City of Jerusalem (during the Second Temple period) which is housed in the museum and is based on the writings of Flavius Josephus.
Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth.
As you leave the traffic of Jerusalem behind and the car heads east, the landscape changes to desert, you pass the "Sea Level" sign and the road continues downhill and downhill until it meets the brackish waters lined with salt deposits and reddish mountains. The surface of the Dead Sea is 421 metres below sea level.. The "sea of salt", as the Jews call it, has no place for life. But today it is not so remote. Just 20 minutes from Jerusalem (it can be a day trip by bus), today it is visited by tourists who come to its shores for the benefits of the saline waters.with a salinity of over 30 percent and a high mineral content.
Despite the extreme climatic conditions, we may wonder who would ever think of coming to live here, but the historical reality has been quite different. As we move southwards along the seashore, we see the rocky mountains, dotted with caves, where a Bedouin found the first Dead Sea Scrolls. (the Isaiah Scroll, remember?). Among those mountains is the Ein Guedi oasisWe leave it on our right. There is a succession of fields of date palmsThe plant that resists and creates life in this inhospitable place. Climbing the sites at Masada (you can walk up the meandering path called the The Serpent's Path or by cable car) you will find the remains of the King Herod's fortified palaces in the heart of the Judean desert. It was the last bastion of the Jewish revolt against the Romans. in 73 A.D., where finally, in order not to end up in Roman slavery, they chose to commit suicide. The ultimate heroic act, death before a life outside of principles. The views over the Dead Sea are spectacular. If it might seem difficult to live down there, on top of this mountain, it should be even more so. But Herod lacked for nothing, from his Roman bath to the most succulent foods and wines that were in no short supply in the outbuildings of Masada. Nor was water, for when the waters came a clever system collected it.
The Dead Sea has today become a WELLNESS CENTRE. Tourists can take mud (slime) baths and end up floating in the sea water (the high salt content will make you float like a mat). Salt crusts are created on the seabed and shores, in extreme and wild patterns. Foreigners come to this area and accompany active relaxation with bathing in the Dead Sea or in the spa facilities of their hotel.
Arad, take a break south of the Judean Desert
We are in Mitzpe Moab (the Moab Lookout), in the Arad areaIn front of you a panoramic view of the Judean desert, the Dead Sea and the mountains in Jordan. In the background the Dead Sea, where down there in summer you can easily reach 40°C. I look up and again see the barren expanse before my eyes. I look up and look again at the barren expanse before my eyes. Why have so many cultures wanted to stay here... "Salt, exactly", the guide remarks, "for the preservation of food". Salt, that's the key. Where Sodom and Gomorrah were located, and which we could see from this viewpoint, salt was extracted from the mountains. Having salt meant being able to preserve food and this marked the ways of life. (it was no longer necessary to go out every day to hunt for meat), all of which gives us an idea of what a jewel this area was for the nearby empires. What oil is today, salt was then.
The deep canyons dropping to the lowest place on earth are proof of the incredible power of water. And the ancient settlements, of the power of whoever rules the desert. And that means making growing life where there is no wateror where water is not always available. The Nabataeans, a people who roamed these inhospitable lands for centuries, knew how to collect it and enhance it into flourishing crops where there was only scorched earth.
An example of this is the vineyards that populate the backgrounds, where the desert seems to give a certain respite to life. The Bible itself speaks of the vine as the "tree of life". Jewish culture has a very close relationship with the vine and with wine. "There is no joy without wine" it says. And it transcends everyday life to become part of the most important ceremonies and celebrations, like the Shabbat or the Pesach (Jewish Passover commemorating the liberation of the Hebrew people from Egyptian rule). The Midbar Winery in Arad is one of more than 300 wineries in Israel.. Yiftach "Luca", the producer, proudly introduces us to what he says are like his children, wines that he makes and that are born of the desert. In front of the table where we taste them, a large photo of the vineyards where he meticulously points out different varieties, as if they were his family. In Israel, wine is loved. More than 30 grape varieties, between 4500 and 5000 hectares of vineyards, producing 55 million bottles of wine. produced annually in the country. Dry, semi-dry, sweet, sparkling and dessert wines.
And it is not wine but the desert that inspires the works that can be found at the "House of Art. This is what the artist tells us Itzik Gamlielas he gazes from his terrace at the distant ochre hills that follow one after the other to the sea. Among the houses in Arad you will quickly recognise it: a large dragon and a giraffe made of reused iron will give you the clue.. This place (house) is open to guests seeking inspiration. And not only Itzik is inspired by the Judean desert. Arad is known for the community of artists who have found here the place from which to communicate with their "inner self" and capture it in their works.
With the last rays we arrived at Kfar Hanokdim, between Arad and Masada, a family's dream turned into an oasis today. resort in the heart of HaKanaim Rift. Bungalows and tents. Palm trees, camels and exotic birds await the tourist to create an unforgettable experience. Bedouin experience in the desert. Although the authenticity of the early days has faded as it has grown, it still allows you to enjoy a comfortable stay and experience Bedouin customs, culture and life at first hand. The Bedouin-style dinner will repair empty stomachs, couscous with all kinds of vegetables, chicken and other meats. In the evening the campfires are lit, in a cosy atmosphere of shadows and light, inviting you to open up and chat over Bedouin tea or burn clouds on the fire in a more American style.
The Incense and Spice Route: Avdat and the Nabataean Cities of the Negev Desert.
Breakfasts in Israel are colourful, tasty and fresh.The menu offers an abundance of dishes that could constitute the meal of the day, in which you can combine sweet and savoury dishes. Eggs in different presentations, hummus, vegetable salads. The Shakshuka is a traditional breakfast dish, with stewed tomatoes, egg, onion, garlic and spices, a delicious dish to start the day with. The food in Kfar Hanokdim is as varied and succulent as in the rest of the region.
We continue to take the pulse of the Negev desert and move south. In Ein Avdat National Park, the Zin River has carved a huge canyon in the white limestone mountains.. A spring miraculously gushes forth to nurture a waterfall cascading over pools of water (a strange element in this desert), then runs down the narrow, winding ravine. The gorge is dotted with small caves that were used by Byzantine hermits. in search of the solitude and immensity of the place. Exploring the gorge of the wadi (ravine), walking between walls and watching ibexes (wild goats) challenge the abyss in this vertical territory can be some of the attractions.
READ ALSO: Hiking in Ein Avdat National Park".
Nearby are the remains of the ancient city of Avdat, one of the stations at the heart of the ancient Incense and Spice Route of the Nabataean kingdom.. The Nabataeans controlled the lucrative caravan routes from southern Arabia to the Mediterranean, passing through their centre at Petra and reaching the end of their journey in Gaza. In between they travelled through the rougher parts of the Negev desert, mastering the desert and the scarcity of water. The Nabataean frankincense and spice route brought prosperity to the cities of Avdat, Mamshit, Shivta and Haluza in the Negev. Today their ruins are a trace of the past and bring us a fascinating history of this nomadic people from the north of the Arabian Peninsula who arrived in the Negev around the 4th century BC. Thus, in 2005 they were World Heritage Sites such as the "Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev"..
At ShivtaThe strategic tension of these lines is not apparent in the enviable isolation of this desert, close to the Egyptian border. The jeep excursion embarks us on the sand and stone roadsWe explore the ravines leading to the large sand dune. The sandboard has become one of the adventure activities demanded by tourists.as well as the off road by the dust of the desert. The table of snowboard Here you will find another, more arid environment, which is strange at first, but you will not forget the downhill slide. The ascent to the dune is slow, between gasps, and we wonder how a Bedouin would do it (would he float in the sand to climb easily?).
We drive south on the road through the centre of the Negev Desert. From the tomb of Ben Gurion (Israel's Prime Minister), buried in the heart of the Negev Desert according to his last wish, you will find a breathtaking panoramic view of the biblical desert of Zin. He fell in love with the desert.
Makhtesh Ramon, Israel's big gun
Mitzpe Ramon is the capital of tourism in the heart of the Negev desert.. Mitzpe means "lookout" in Hebrew, and it makes perfect sense there. If you go to the north end of the "Grand Canyon" (that's what they call it) you will have a magnificent view over this geographical feature, Makhtesh Ramon; a blind valley or canyon, an erosion cirque, which collapsed in geological times. to create this "crater"; drained by two rivers (Nahal Ramon and Nahal Ardon), more than 400 metres deep, 40 kilometres long, 9 kilometres wide. The atmosphere created by the multicoloured sandstones and volcanic rock is simply breathtaking.. However, if you want to discover the geological and fossil treasures more closely, you will have to go down and get lost among the dark and ochre-coloured undulations that you have seen from above.
Mitzpe Ramon is the epicentre of activities in the southern part of the desert; hiking trails (some of the best in the country can be found here, including a section of the Israel Trail), for mountain biking or you can also abseil from its rocky outcrops.. The visitor centre is located on the edge of the makhteshMuch of it focuses on Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who died during the Columbia space shuttle disaster. You can also take pictures of the mountain goats that roam the rims of the canyon. But a visit to the vastness of the desert cannot forget to approach another vastness, that of the stars over a clear region, without light pollution, far from the crowds and lights of the city. This area is a privileged place for stargazing, at the bottom of the Ramon Crater the universe takes centre stage.. "Twelve years ago, we started this outdoor observation activity with the telescope. It has had a great development in the area. Now seven operators offer this experience. Perry Effie tells us about the rotation of the stars above our heads, locates constellations, clusters and old stars. A glass of local wine brightens the moment, while the Milky Way stands out in the darkness of the night.
To the North, Be'er Sheva (the biblical city of Abraham)
We drive north in the direction of Sde Boker for a last stop at the impressive modern city of Be'er Sheva (the biblical city of Abraham). At the Turkish Railway Station, an exhibition of historical photos of the city shows it as it was during the Ottoman period and the British Mandate. Fascinating to see how this outpost in the desert has become the centre of reference in southern Israel, blending past and present.
And still engrossed by the untamed nature of the Negev, we stepped through the boarding gate at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, realising how much the desert can unite what humans try to separate.
That spell hypnotising of the silence in the night, of the mists cut out on an ochre horizon, of the slow walk of the Bedouin, of the smell of saltpetre and dust, of the radiated heat, of the inner awakening.It will undoubtedly take some time before it leaves us.
