MEA Weekly Picture from Israel

Pictures from Israel

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Avir resting up at a camel ranch in the Negev

Avir has had a busy day. He set off early for a swim in the Dead Sea and we will see that picture in a couple of weeks. Now he taking the opportunity to relax in this beautiful desert setting. This camel ranch is very popular and visitors come from all over the world to see not only the beautiful camels but also to experience staying overnight in a simple hut in the middle of the desert—the air is so clean and the camel rides are definitely adventurous. So, after a 45 minute drive from the Dead Sea, the hammock looked a great place to unwind.
Next to him is a bronze sculpture called “The Lone Camel Rider”. The date palms pictured here climb high into the sky towering over Avir and offering him a little shade. These palm trees grow close to near desert springs and provide food, shelter and shade. They are even featured in the Bible as metaphors or poetry—one example being in Psalm 92:12 “the righteous himself will blossom forth as a palm tree does”.

This particular area is near the old Incense Trade Route which connected Arabia to the Mediterranean Sea, passing through this region in the Negev, in the south of Israel. This trade route led to the development of ancient towns, forts, many travelling caravans and various agricultural locations. The spices and incense such as frankincense and myrrh became a lucrative trade.
Camels have played an important role as ‘ships in the desert’ throughout the history of the Negev Desert, for they can walk more than 100 kilometres each day, and very soon Avir will experience a camel ride himself.

MEA Weekly Picture from Israel

Pictures from Israel

Click to Enlarge

Avir at Ein Gedi getting very wet in the lower waterfall

Avir has just got out of the strong rush of water from the falls above. The water is quite cold and exhilarating, not always best for the feint-hearted who don’t appreciate swimming in cold water. His friends who have just emerged from a waterfall-bath themselves are enjoying the break and sitting under the overhanging trees adjacent to this lower waterfall.

This living landscape is where David hid from King Saul (1 Sam. 24:1-22) and King Solomon wrote about in his lovely poem Song of Songs. These are also other biblical stories connected to the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve on the shore of the Dead Sea, an oasis made all the more entrancing by its contrast with the surrounding desert. The sprightly animals that gave the site its biblical name, the “crags of the wild goats” (1 Sam. 24:2), rest at the cave entrances and walk the reserve.

The water gurgling through the tangled reeds and under shady acacias once nourished the beds of spices mentioned also in the Song of Solomon (1:14). The remains of a town and a synagogue with a mosaic floor tell the dramatic story of Ein Gedi’s people two-thousand years ago and in the following centuries.