MAR 29, 2024 JLM 67°F 10:51 AM 03:51 AM EST
Today's Virtual Tour - En Avdat National Park

At the foot of Midreshet Ben Gurion, the Tsin Stream has carved out a deep and impressive canyon. Three springs feed a brook that flows all year round, and an enchanted oasis. En Avdat – the kingdom of ibex and vultures.

Points of interest
- En Avdat waterfall: a flowing waterfall, and at its feet, a glorious pool in the watercourse.
- Monks’ caves: in the Byzantine period the caves were used by monks seeking seclusion, and they overlook the canyon.
- Euphrates poplar grove: a large and impressive grove of Euphrates poplars, trees whose main distribution in Israel is along the River Jordan. The poplars are particularly beautiful in their yellow fall shades in winter.
- En Ma’arif lookout point: Looking out over the head of the canyon.

Geographic location

The national park is located in the central Negev, south of Midreshet Ben Gurion, and north of Avdat National Park, to the east of Road 40.  There are two entrances to the park: the lower entrance, on the road that branches off the road to Midreshet Ben Gurion (at the beginning of which is the entrance to the Tsinim Cliffs), and the upper entrance on the road  branching off Road 40 between Midreshet Ben Gurion and Avdat.

The hiking path at the site is not circular. It is possible to walk from the lower entrance to the En Avdat waterfall and back, but to hike the complete trail it is necessary to be prepared in advance with a vehicle in the upper parking lot, and to follow the trail ascending from the lower entrance to the upper entrance.

En Avdat National Park encompasses the Tsin Stream, at the north-western end of the Tsinim Cliffs – a long escarpment that rises to a height of 100 m or more, between Avdat Heights and the Tsin Valley. The park covers an area of 4,800 dunams. It was declared in 1972 (including the family grave of David and Paula Ben Gurion).

The En Avdat oasis is one of the loveliest in Israel. Thanks to its size and location in the heart of the desert, it is an important site for desert wildlife, first and foremost the ibexes, while the steep and inaccessible cliffs are the most important nesting site for vultures in the Negev mountains. In addition to the wildlife and the water, there are vast cliffs here, and also the archaeological remains of the monks’ settlements.

This is one of the last sites in Israel where there is a nesting colony of vultures. The nesting colony is very sensitive to nearby human activity, and in order to limit the disturbance, about a decade ago the route of the Ma’ale Divshon trail in the national park was diverted. Today, the trail is further from the canyon, and there is less disturbance to the wildlife in the area.

The Nature and Parks Authority regularly monitors the vultures’ nesting site in the nature reserve.

Archaeology and history
Cave mouths can be seen in the canyon cliffs. In the Byzantine period, these caves were inhabited by monks. At the time, the nearby town of Avdat was an important Christian center, and it can be assumed that proximity to the town and the abundance of water in the area offered fertile ground for wide-scale religious activity. Some of the monks lived a life of asceticism. Others prayed and lived in seclusion in the course of the week, only meeting at weekends for a communal meal and religious ceremonies.

Wildlife
The most noticeable animals in the national park are the ibexes and vultures, but also nesting in the cliffs are rock doves (Columba livia) (today genetically mixed with the domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica)), and other birds – the sand partridge (Ammoperdix heyi), partridge (Alectoris), Arabian babbler (Turdoides squamiceps), rock martin (Ptyonoprogne fuligula), and others. Prominent among the mammals is the sand rat (Psammomys obesus), a rodent that feeds on the saltbushes in the area.

Did you find this article interesting?
Comments
Flora Ann 14:12 01.02.2022
Ditto Rebecca!
Rebecca Stump 13:19 01.02.2022
WOW how I'd love to see it in person! You should post a video of it because that's the only way I would see it. Thank you for sharing 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱
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