Mitzpe Ramon to Machtesh Ramon Exploration, En Avdat, and Avdat

January 5, 2019

Mitzpe Ramon to Machtesh Ramon Exploration (The Carpentry), En Avdat and Avdat

We woke up in our adobe hut to sunrise over the Machtesh Ramon Crater.  Our location was outstanding for views of the Crater.   

Sunrise as seen from our Adobe Hut

Desert Shade Eco Lodge

 A quick shower then packing up and getting our luggage to the pickup area before breakfast at 7:30 am put us on schedule for a very active day in the Negev.

Breakfast in the Eco Lodge

 First we drove into the crater and to the Carpentry where we walked out to a large mound of black basalt.  This gave us a good view of the crater walls and the great expanse of erosion in the crater floor.   

Crater Wall

At The Carpentry

Gathered on the Mound

Hiking back to the Bus

From there we drove to the Machtesh Ramon Visitor Center for a presentation on Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who died in the fatal reentry of the Columbia in 2003.  The next phase of the Center was an excellent video presentation of the formation of the crater followed by a walk-through of exhibits of the geology of the area.  At the end, there was a video presentation on the extensive wildlife of the Machtesh Ramon.  This crater is the largest of three such unique craters in the Negev.

Point Overlook into Machtesh Ramon

Part of Samford Group at Lookout

 We then drove a short distance to En Avdat, which included a 1 mile hike in the Wadi Tsin to a waterfall.  The wadi contained towering cliffs of travertine rock.  After crossing the water via a stone dam, we walked on the other side of the wadi bed on a natural stone terrace next to the lower pools from the falls.  From there the trail dead end at the pool formed by the falls in a picturesque setting.

We then retraced our walk, crossed the stone dam, and stopped where a secondary trail intersects from above on the left.  Five of the group continued back to the parking lot and twenty-five climbed the rock-hewn steps in the canyon wall with metal hand holds to an upper trail that bypasses the waterfall and reaches the top of the falls (15 m in height).  Here, we had great views of the spectacular canyon, pools below, and the vegetation on the canyon floor.  We followed the trail along the wadi to a poplar grove where we could see the openings of caves high on the canyon wall  These were used by monks in the Byzantine period.  After ascending the slope, we climbed another vertical segment using steps cut into the wall, hand holds, and two metal ladders.  This brought us to the level of one of the monks’ caves, which we entered, and gave us superb views of the wadi.  Next remained another vertical segment and one last metal ladder from which we accessed the top of the cliff and a parking lot.  The bus met us there and drove back to the highway where we stopped for lunch.  

Hiking in the Wadi

Approaching the Waterfall

At the Waterfall

Above the Waterfall Looking Down the Wadi

High Above Wadi Floor

Narrow Trail to Monk's Cave

Made it to the Top

This was at the entrance to Avdat, which is Station 62 on the Incense Route (a World Heritage Site). The Incense Route extended from the Arabian Peninsula to the port of Gaza and then to all parts of the Roman Empire.  Form the Hellenistic to the Late Roman periods (3^rd century BCE to 3^rd century CE), Avdat was a small Nabatean settlement on the Incense Route.  The very lucrative incense trade was one of the motives for constructing way stations, fortresses, and towers, which provided security and supplies to the traders and the camel caravans (10 to 20 camels) travelling the route.  The Nabateans were an ancient people of Arab origin who, beginning in the 4^th century BCE, worked the Incense Route, transporting incense, spices, medicinal plants, textiles, dyes, silver and gold.  Some Nabateans live around Petra in Transjordan and this became the kingdom’s capital.  Beginning in the 1^st century BCE and continuing into the 3^rd century CE, they inhabited permanent settlements in the Negev and made their living from the trade and commerce.  The kingdom at its height included northern Arabia, Edom, Moab, Hauran, the Negev and Sinai. 

The Nabateans accepted Christianity, which became their official religion.  The Nabatean script was replaced by Greek.  Fortresses and magnificent churches were built, with two existing at Avdat.  Beginning in the 4^th century CE, changes in the world economic market and shifting of the trade route into Egypt led them to turn exclusively to farming.

In 106 CE, the Nabatean King Rabbel II died and his kingdom was annexed to the Roman Empire to give the Provincia Arabia.  During the Byzantine period (late 4^th century CE) Ardat grew into a large village with cisterns, agriculture, storerooms to hold produce and workshops to process it.  Then in the early 7^th century, a huge earthquake hit the area destroying Ardat and leading to its abandonment. 

We began our tour by visiting the Roman Burial Cave just below the main village along the road leading to the village.  It included 20 burial niches that could vertically accommodate 3 bodies Our tour of the village included the Roman Tower, Byzantine Quarters, Town Fortresses, two churches, and the store caves.  From the church of St. Theodoros there are excellent views of the Avdat valley and the existing road, which was the Incense Route.  From here we entered some of the rooms carved into the rock below the church.  These served as dwellings in the Byzantine period.  

Niches in Roman Burial Cave

Ruins of Avdat

Avdat Wall

The Wall from Citadel Courtyard

Southern Church

St. Theodorus Church

Model

Looking South

Cave Dwelling

Descending the stairs, we arrived at our bus, which was ready to transport us to Jericho for our two-night stay at The Oasis.  We were no longer planning to stay at the Bedouin lodging, because of problems with a prior stay.  The drive to Jericho as about 90 minutes.  Much of the drive was on the west side of the Dead Sea, which we drove the length of 

View of the Dead Sea

before arriving at the hotel around 6:45 pm.  Dinner was at 7:15 pm.