oasis -

Masada – the Dead Sea, Girl on a Middle Eastern trail!

Gosia — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 09:35:23 +0000

The Dead Sea is an indisputable attraction in Israel. The prospect of levitation on water attracts many tourists, but this is not the only reason why you should go to this area. There are two more places that can’t be missed.One of them is the fortress – Masada, located in the Judean Desert, above 400 m above the Dead Sea level, or less than 100 meters above sea level. Masada is one of the most interesting archaeological sites in Israel. It was built in 30 BC by Herod the Great – King of Judea. The size of the fortress is impressive, especially because of its bloody history. In 66 AD, during the Jewish War, Masada was occupied by Sycarians – the most radical branch of Zelots. However, tragic events took place in 72 AD during the Romans siege of the fortress. Its seemed that it was impossible to conquer Masada because of its location. However, led by Flavius Silva, the Romans raised a siege wall and a slope to attack Masada effectively. When on 1st May 73, it became clear that the defenders would not be able to maintain the fortress, they decided to commit group suicide. According to the plan, every man was supposed to kill his entire family, then 10 were chosen from the other men who killed the rest. The rest ten men chose the one who killed 9 and after that killed himself. Thus, as a result of a group suicide, 960 people died, only two women and five children who managed to find a shelter, avoided a tragic death. When the Romans reached the place they saw a mass grave. Additionally, Zealots set the entire fortress on fire, except for full granaries. This was meant to show Romans that their suicide was not related to food shortage as a result of the long-term siege of the fortress. For the Israelis, Masada is a symbol of heroic struggle until the end, to this day Israeli soldiers take an oath here, saing: ′′ Masada will never be conquered again ′′ At the top you can now see Herod’s northern palace, where an amazing view of the Dead Sea and the Judean Desert is spread from the viewing terrace. It’s also worth a look at a bathhouse near the palace, which is decorated with wall paintings. There are two ways to get to the top: on foot taking so called Snake Path that can be covered in about an hour or a cable car. When deciding to walk you have to consider the high temperatures prevailing in this area. The optimal option is to use the cable car to the top and walk down. The admission to the top of Masada costs 31 shekels, single ticket for cable car costs 28 shekles, while return one costs 46 shekels. Absolute must-do attraction is swimming in the Dead Sea. As part of a short introduction, the Dead Sea, which is actually a lake, is 430 meters below sea level. However, as I recall from my geography lessons, it is crypto-depression, meaning that its bottom is further 340 meters below sea level. Consequently, the Dead Sea is located more than 700 meters below sea level. It is also the most salted lake in the world. The best place to swim here is the free beach in Ein Bokek. There are numerous showers, changing rooms and restaurants. While searching another place to swim, consider that at the Dead Sea, you should avoid bathing in unauthorised places, because you can find numerous faults under a thin layer of salt, where you can collapse without a trace. Before bathing in the Dead Sea, it is not recommended to perform waxing/shaving procedures, because to put it mildly, the bath may prove to be uncomfortable. I guarantee that even minor cut you will feel very intensively. When swimming, violent movements should also be avoided, as it’s harder to maintain balance in saltwater. Anyway, it’s hard to talk about swimming here, because it looks more like levitating on the water. It might appear that salt spas and Masada are the only reasons to visit this area. However, there is one more unique attraction – the Ein Gedi oasis. Here you can see amazing views of the Dead Sea area, caves, old synagogue, and take a bath in waterfalls surrounded by lush vegetation which is very impressive, taking into account harsh conditions here. The best way to end a trip to the Red Sea is observing the area at sunset.

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Ein Avdat – in the shadow of explosions and an artificial sun

Gosia — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 20:38:54 +0000

Having driven almost 1242 miles around Israel, our trip was over. We’re going from Makhtesh Ramon to the north towards Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv from where we were supposed to fly off to Poland in the evening. The plan included a short trip to Avdat National Park, which was on the way. Sipping my morning coffee and planning the route I didn’t expect that I would remember this trip to this very day. It might seem that Makhtesh Ramon I wrote about earlier is the only attraction of the Negev Desert. Meanwhile, it’s worth seeing Ein Avdat National Park located nearby the road no 40. The name Ein in Hebrew and Arabic means the source, while Avdat comes from the name of the nearby city. It is therefore impossible to hide that Ein Avdat is full of water. Located in the river valley it’s one of the most surprising places in Israel. Here you can see interesting rock formations, lush vegetation for Israeli sever conditions and a waterfall. Surely this place wouldn’t make such an impression if it weren’t for one small detail, Ein Avdat is actually located in the centre of the Negev Desert, Israel. Due to the water and lush vegetation here, the park is the place of residence of many animals, including popular capricorns. The path leads along the high cliffs. You can see the characteristic formations that result from the erosive water activity. Interestingly, Ein Avdat doesn’t seem to be just a work of nature. Walking along the canyon you can see numerous stairs and caves craved in the rocks. It is a remnant of the Byzantine era when the place was inhabited by monks. You can visit the park in two ways: a longer and shorter route. The shorter route starts in the lower parking lot, leads to the largest waterfall and back. It counts about 3 km, and it takes about 1,5 hour. The second route starts at the same location, but further leads to the top of the canyon. Behind the last waterfall it goes up steep. Due to the sharp, narrow approach, this is a one-way path, and it takes about 3 hours to complete the entire route. Admission ticket costs 28 shekels (14 shekels – children, 24 shekels – students) or it’s free after buying Israel Pass. After crossing the whole trail and a short stop, we decided to go back to the parking lot. I didn’t expect that I would remember this route until today with chills on my back. I was aware of the threats in Israel, I bought very expensive insurance, which also included war activities. Unfortunate coincidence during our stay in November 2019 from Gaza Strip, Palestinian Jihad resumed rocket attack on Israel. Most of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome system, but several fell into Israel. Including one which bombarded highway area near which we were supposed to be passing that day. As a result, Israel retaliated with an air attack. We were “lucky” that it coincided with our visit to Ein Avdat, which was only about 80 km (49 miles) from Gaza Strip. The way back to the parking lot was supposed to be our last chance to see the beauty of Israel, we wanted to enjoy this last moment in this country surrounded by such wonderful landscapes. Meanwhile, suddenly we heard a series of explosions, which were further intensified by deaf echo created by the high walls of the canyon. Without knowing the exact location of military actions, worst thoughts come to mind and tension further increases when realising being actually ′′ trapped′′ between large rock blocks. After the outbreak stopped, there was silence, we’re relieved. Unfortunately, our peace didn’t last long, because after a moment we heard an even bigger bang. We saw flying right over our heads several Israeli fighters, and then the next explosions. We speeded up the pace to get in the parking lot asap. Trust me I didn’t expect the way back could take so little time. Soon after returning to the car, the situation calmed down, and we were aware that we had to continue the route to the airport, which was supposed to go even closer to Gaza Strip. With our heart in our mouth, we were able to reach our destination, but to this day this situation gives me chills. Fortunately, our route to the airport went without further such attractions. We didn’t expect to see one more surprise. Not far from Ein Avdat, we saw a huge tower that blinded us by the glow of sunlight reflecting from it. It was Ashalim Solar Tower. The tower reaches 250 meters and is one of the tallest structures of this type in the world. At its base, on an area of 300 hectares (740 acres), there are mirrors, directing sunlight to the top of the tower. The boiler at the top generates a temperature reaching 600 degrees Celsius (1112 Fahrenheit). This is how the steam is produced, which is then directed towards the base of the tower, where the electricity is generated, it’s sufficient to power 120 000houses. I will honestly admit that for the first time in my life I saw such a structure, the whole thing is amazing, it literally looks like a giant bulb. Ashalim is one of those attractions which you won’t find in guidebooks. It’s worth taking a look here when you’re in Ein Avdat area ?

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Israel – 7 amazing places to visit!

Gosia — Sat, 30 Nov 2019 09:45:26 +0000

Israel is mostly associated with holy places, leisure sunbathing like Eilat or music scene like Tel Aviv. However, in this small country there’re more than 40 national parks. What’s more interesting, due to the different location, they are very diverse. They include: green oases, the emerald coast, a unique crater, ruins of ancient cities or even the coral reef. Rosh Hanikra Grottoes, Israel or Lebanon? White, limestone cliffs, caves and crystal clear water of the Mediterranean sea this is how Rosh Hanikra Grottoes look like. However, at the top of the white rocks you can see a high fence with a barbed wire, on the other side is Lebanon. Actually, from Rosh Hanikra, it’s closer to Beirut than Jerusalem. Here runs so called Blue line – the line set by the United Nations, only 19 years ago (in 2000). The border was established just after the Israeli army withdrawal from Southern Lebanon. You can get to the grottoes by cable car (return ticket costs 45). In addition to clean water and paper white rocks, very interesting is 200 m tunnel. It was built during British reign in this area in order to connect by railway line Haifa with Beirut and Tripoli in Lebanon. The railway line served the British for military purposes during World War II. Ein Gedi – zielona oaza nad Morzem Martwym Oaza Ein Gedi zlokalizowana jest na wschodnim krańcu Pustyni Judzkiej, tuż obok Morza Martwego. Pustynia Judzka zupełnie nie przypomina pustyni, zamiast piaszczystych wydm, można tu zobaczyć wysokie wzniesienia i skały. W parku znajdują się dwie główne ścieżki prowadzące przez zielone doliny: Wadi Arugot i Wadi David. Oprócz cudownych widoków na oazę oraz Morze Martwe, dodatkową atrakcją jest możliwość kąpieli w strumykach i wodospadach. Szlak przez dolinę Wadi David kończy się na wysokim wodospadzie, w którego głębi znajduje się jaskinia. Poza niesamowitymi widokami, na terenie parku znajdują się również ruiny prehistorycznej świątyni oraz starej synagogi. Szlaki oznaczone są dwoma kolorami. Czerwone prowadzą przez pustynne krajobrazy, natomiast niebieskie – w dolinie, wzdłuż rześkich strumieni i wodospadów. Wstęp kosztuje 28 szekli. Masada Strome, niemal pionowe zbocza Twierdzy Masada wyróżniają się w nieco monotonnym krajobrazie wybrzeża Morza Martwego. Ogromna góra licząca ponad 450 m nad poziomem Morza Martwego, co w praktyce wynosi jakieś 10-20 m n.p.m odejmując depresję, widoczna jest z daleka i robi niesamowite wrażenie. Strategiczne położenie Masady było jednym z powodów dla których Herod – Król Judei postanowił wybudować tu kompleks fortyfikacji. Masada była ostatnim bastionem obrony Żydów przed Rzymianami w 73-74 n.e. Po długotrwałym kilkumiesięcznym oblężeniu twierdzy przez Rzymian, obrona została zerwana. Obrona zakończyła się masowym samobójstwem mieszkańców, którzy woleli odebrać sobie życie niż zostać rzymskimi niewolnikami. There is a long path to the top, but most tourists decide to get there by cable car (return ticket costs 46 shekels and admission to the park 31 shekels). Caesarea Maritima The person of the king Herod is also associated with Caesarea Maritima – one of the most beautiful archaeological sites in Israel. In the complex of the ancient ruins you can visit the Roman theatre, the remains of the ancient port, the citadel and the fragments of ramparts. The path to ruins leads along a huge hippodrome, which is located just at the shore the Mediterranean Coast. Admission to Cesarea National Park costs 39 shekels. Ein Avdat – an oasis in the middle of the Negev Desert Parking just at the entrance to the area of Ein Avdat National Park does not encourage to go on a trip. The arid landscape of the Negev Desert starts being boring after driving more than 170 km through the same countryside. However, a few steps further the tourist trail will lead you to completely different place. Admission costs 28 shekels. A narrow, deep canyon, surrounded by interestingly sculptured rocks, caves and waterfalls creates a unique atmosphere of this place. Ein Avdat is also the habitat of the ibex, which can be seen on the trail. Ramon Crater Sometimes there’re places that can’t be described by words. Sometimes there’s no point in taking out the camera, because even the best photo will not present the scale and beauty of these places. That’s in the case of the Ramon Crater (Mitzpe Ramon). It’s a real gem on the map of Israel and a must-see place during your stay in Israel. It’s one of the biggest craters on earth, created by erosion. It is 40 km long, 9 km wide and 300 m deep. The scale of this place is unimaginable, moreover, it’s constantly extending due to the processes of erosion. The crater was named after a participant of the tragic mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia, astronaut – Ilan Ramon. The nearby museum is dedicated to the disaster of the Columbia Space Shuttle, while the hills surrounding the crater were named after the rest of the mission participants. The canyon makes an amazing impression at sunrise and sunset, especially from a nearby viewpoint, resembling the shape of a camel. Ejlat – Coral Reef Therefore after an intense sightseeing, it’s best to rest in Eilat – located at the Red Sea. In the suburbs of this famous holiday resort is a national park where you can swim in the Red Sea surrounded by amazing colorful fish.

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