Arava, near Eilat, Israel
Timna Valley
עֵמֶק תִּמְנָע Emek Timna
The oldest copper-mining landscape in the world, in sandstone the colour of rust, about twenty-five kilometres north of Eilat.
Copper worked here from the fifth millennium BCE; Egyptian and Edomite mining in the thirteenth to ninth centuries BCE
Visiting Timna Valley
- What to wear
- Full sun protection, closed shoes and layers. Desert nights drop fast even after a hot day.
- Photography
- Free. Early and late light is what makes the sandstone red.
- Cost
- Ticketed park entry, with the lake activities charged on top.
- When to go
- October to April. Midsummer is forty degrees and higher, with no shade in the valley.
- Access
- A car is effectively required. Internal roads are paved; trails range from flat loops to steep scrambles with ladders.
What to wear at every site in Israel
Etiquette
- DoThis is a desert park with driving distances between the sites. Fill the tank and the water bottles before you enter.
- AvoidDo not go into unmarked shafts. Ancient workings are open here and they are not stable.
- DoTake everything out with you, fruit peel included. Nothing rots in this climate; it just sits there.
- DoFlash floods close the valley after rain even when the sky above you is clear. Ask at the gate rather than judging by the weather.
- DoIbex and hyrax come to the water points towards evening. Watching is fine, feeding them is not.
Local tip
The full-size Tabernacle model near the entrance is a teaching aid, not an excavation. Look at it as a diagram for ten minutes, then spend your time at the smelting camps, which are the real thing.
Hours, prices, access and security arrangements change: check official sources before you go, and follow the instructions of site and security staff. In an emergency, call the local emergency number (in Israel: police 100, ambulance 101, or 112 from a mobile).
The history of Timna Valley
Copper before iron
Shafts, galleries and smelting camps here run from the Chalcolithic period through the Iron Age. It is one of the most complete ancient copper-production landscapes anywhere, and you can walk into the workings.
Egyptians in the Arava
A temple to Hathor, the Egyptian goddess associated with mining, stands at the foot of the cliffs. Egyptian expeditions worked here in the thirteenth and twelfth centuries BCE alongside Midianite and later Edomite workers.
Not King Solomon’s Mines
Nelson Glueck attached that name to the site in the 1930s. Excavation then showed the Egyptian phase and the name fell away. Radiocarbon work since the 2010s has dated a major smelting phase to the tenth century BCE, the period the Bible assigns to David and Solomon, so the argument is open again. It is an argument, not a finding.
The rock is not carved
The arches, mushrooms and the columns called Solomon’s Pillars are natural sandstone erosion. The names are modern and the shapes are geology.
Hebrew for the visit
Phrases
- שְׁנַיִם, בְּבַקָּשָׁהshnayim, bevakashaTwo, pleaseשְׁנַיִם is the masculine two, used for most market goods. Counting out loud on its own, Israelis say shtayim.
- מַיִם, בְּבַקָּשָׁהmayim, bevakashaWater, pleaseTap water is safe to drink across Israel. Say מַיִם מֵהַבֶּרֶז (mayim mehaberez) if you would rather not buy a bottle.
- אֶפְשָׁר לְהַרְאוֹת לִי בַּמַּפָּה?efshar lehar'ot li bamapa?Can you show me on the map?אֶפְשָׁר lets you skip choosing a male or female verb. Hold up your phone as you ask.
- כַּמָּה זְמַן זֶה לוֹקֵחַ?kama zman ze lokeach?How long does it take?
Words
- מִדְבָּרmidbardesert; wildernessThe book of Numbers is called בְּמִדְבַּר, “in the wilderness”, in Hebrew.
- אֶבֶןevenstoneJerusalem stone is required by city building rules, which is why the city reads as one colour.
- הַרharmountain; hill
- חַםchamhot; warmFeminine: חַמָּה.
- דָּרוֹםdaromsouth
- עַתִּיקatikancientFeminine: עַתִּיקָה, as in הָעִיר הָעַתִּיקָה.
Getting Around: all the phrases · All 157 phrases in the phrasebook
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