Carrying on south on route 90 from Tamar, we travelled through the multi-coloured Arava desert, stopping briefly at Yotvata, a kibbutz known for its wonderful dairy products sold under the same name, stocking up for a picnic.
Jordan from the Arava near Yotvata
We had planned to visit the Timna valley, an area 25 kilometres north of Eilat, rich in copper ore, which has been mined since the 5th millennium BCE, making these the oldest mines on the planet. The mines were modernized in 1955, at a location south to the Timna valley ,but production ended in 1984 for economic reasons. The valley is of unique beauty and interest from a scenic, geological and archaeological standpoint. Since the mines closed, the tourism potential of the valley has progressively been exploited, alongside continued excavations.
In 2002 the area was declared a nature reserve, ending all mining activity within the reserve's area. Gazelles and ibex still roam the area, but an image of these animals with ostriches found on a high ridge of sand suggests that ostriches once lived here, as well. Known as Timna Valley Park, its development has been progressed since 1979 by the Jewish National Fund (JNF). Today Timna Park is managed by the Hevel Eilot Regional Council and the JNF. Although the majority of the huge area of the Park - some 60 square kilometres - is unspoilt, with careful development of roads, hiking paths and interpretive signs and displays, the Park has the feel of a tourist attraction, superficially at least, with developments such as an artificial lake, a replica of the tabernacle, and painted concrete "Egyptian-style" statues, thankfully dotted rather sparingly around. It is also used as a venue for outdoor "spectacular" shows, with King Solomon's Mines as backdrop.
The entrance to Timna Park, with its rather touristy "Egyptian-style" statues
Finding the entrance to the park deserted and undergoing some redevelopment, we soon found we could nevertheless drive in (without the expected charge being levied) and had the park to ourselves! The idea for the park, as well as preserving it for future generations, was to share archaeological findings with the public, and there are around 20 different walking trails and roads to lead visitors to the various attractions.
Scientific attention and public interest was aroused in the 1930s when Nelson Glueck attributed the copper mining at Timna to King Solomon and named the site "King Solomon's Mines". Most archaeologists considered the mines to be earlier than the Solomonic period (10th century BCE) until an archaeological excavation led by Erez Ben-Yosef of Tel Aviv University's found evidence indicating that this area was being mined by Edomites, who were frequently at war with Israel at just that time. But in fact archaeological excavation reveals that copper has been mined in the area since long before that, back to the 5th or 6th millennium BCE, and indeed many chalcolithic mines have been found here. In 1959, Professor Beno Rothenberg, director of the Institute for Archeo-Metallurgical Studies at University College, London, led the Arabah Expedition, sponsored by the Eretz Israel Museum, and the Tel Aviv University Institute of Archaeology. The expedition included a deep excavation of Timna Valley, and by 1990 he discovered 10,000 copper mines and smelting camps with furnaces, rock drawings, geological features, shrines, temples, an Egyptian mining sanctuary, jewelry, and other artifacts never before found anywhere in the world. His excavation and restoration of the area allowed for the reconstruction of Timna Valley’s long and complex history of copper production, from the Late Neolithic period to the Middle Ages.
A Chalcolithic copper production site (top left) and recreations of copper smelting and production tools, ancient mineshafts, and mining tools
So it transpires that, after the Edomites, mining was continued by the Israelites and Nabateans through to the Roman period and the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, and then by the Ummayads from the Arabian Peninsula after the Arab conquest (in the 7th century CE) until the copper ore became scarce. The copper was used for ornaments as well as for stone cutting tools, such as saws, in conjunction with sand. Recent excavations discovered what may be the earliest camel bones with signs of domestication found in Israel or even outside the Arabian peninsula, dating to around 930 BCE.
The Timna valley is also known for its geology and beautiful scenery. Below is a slideshow of many of the features, from the world-famous Solomon's Pillars - perhaps the most striking and well-known formation in Timna Valley - to the mushrooms and arches which abound in this multi-coloured valley. But even amongst this geology is history and archaeology, evidenced by rock art and temples built for miners. Hover over the picture to see the captions.
Some more information about the sites pictured above follows. Timna Valley is notable for its uncommon stone formations and sand. Although predominantly red, the sand can be yellow, orange, grey, dark brown, or black. Light green or blue sand occurs near the copper mines. Water and wind erosion have created several unusual formations that are only found in similar climates.
Solomon's Pillars are natural structures that were formed by centuries of water erosion through fractures in the sandstone cliff until it became a series of distinct, pillar-shaped structures. A stairway has been created up and through the pillars, taking advantage of the same natural arches and shelves which were access by ancient man. Indeed up here are rock drawings left by the Egyptians, as you may have seen in the above slideshow. High on a rock face above a shelf overlooking the a small Egyptian temple dedicated to Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of mining, at the foot of the Pillars, is a carving of of Ramses III handing an offering to Hathor, who holds an ankh - a symbol of fertility and life. Beneath is a hieroglyphic inscription with the name and titles of the Egyptian expedition which left the engraving behind: "The Royal Butler, the Justified Ramessempre."
The shrine to Hathor itself was built during the reign of Pharaoh Seti I at the end of the 14th century BCE, for the Egyptian miners that worked the mines at the time. The shrine housed an open courtyard with a cella, an area cut into the rock, presumably to house a statue of the deity. Earthquake damage caused the temple to be rebuilt during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II in the 13th century BCE, with a larger courtyard and more elaborate walls and floors. The dimensions of the original shrine were 15 by 15 meters, and it was faced with white sandstone that was found only at the mining site, several kilometers away. The hieroglyphics, sculptures, and jewelry found in the temple totaled several thousand artifacts, have provided a lot of important information for archaeologists.
It appears that Egyptian and Midianite rituals took place side by side at the shrine, and when the Egyptians left the area in the middle of the 12th century BCE, the Midianites continued using the temple. They erased the evidence of the Egyptian cult, effaced the images of Hathor and the Egyptian hieroglyphics, and built a row of stelae and a bench of offerings on both sides of the entrance. They turned the temple into a tented desert shrine and filled it with Midianite pottery and metal jewelry. There was also a bronze serpent found nearby the sanctuary. Thus the temple remained the valley's key cultic site for much of its ancient history.
The Egyptians also carved the rock drawings at the so-called "Chariots" rock face. In addition to the famous drawing of chariots which gives the place its name, there are depictions of ibex and other fauna, as well as people.
The "Mushroom" and "Mushroom and a Half" are unusual monolithic, mushroom-shaped, red sandstone rock formations known as a hoodoos, the shape was caused by wind, humidity, and water erosion over centuries. The Mushroom is surrounded by copper ore smelting sites from between the 14th and 12th centuries BCE.
The "Arches" are natural arches formed by erosion, along the western cliff of the valley.
After several hours exploring Timna, we headed into Eilat for supper. Eilat is Israel's southernmost city, a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba, immediately west of the Jordanian port of Aqaba. The city's beaches, coral reef, nightlife and desert landscapes make it a popular destination for domestic and international tourism. Historically, Eilat was the first place in Israel that the children of Israel camped. Solomon rebuilt the port, and Uzziah rebuilt the city and restored it to Judah.
The Red Sea Gulf of Aqaba at Eilat, with Aqaba and Jordan in the distance
The Taba (or Menachem Begin) border crossing with Egypt, Eilat
Riva and Yonatan deep in discussion at an Eilat fish restaurant
And officially that is the end of the Route 90 roadtrip! We continued from Eilat north west, along the route 12, into the Eilat Mountains, with their spectacular views back into the Gulf of Aqaba, heading through the Southern Negev Desert to our overnight stop at Mitzpe Ramon. You can see a slideshow of views below, before connecting with the next blog in the series here.
Continue into the Negev here.