Location of Judaean Desert in Israel

and the West Bank in red

The Judaean Desert or Judean Desert (Hebrew: ‫הוּדה‬

ָ ְ‫ ִמ ְד ַבּר י‬Midbar Yehuda,
both Desert of Judah or Judaean Desert; Arabic: ‫ ﺻﺤﺮاء ﻳﻬﻮدا‬Sahraa' Yahuda) is
a desert in Israel and the West Bank that lies east of Jerusalem and descends
to the Dead Sea. It stretches from the northeastern Negev to the east of Beit
El, and is marked by natural terraces with escarpments. It ends in a steep
escarpment dropping to the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley. The Judaean
Desert is crossed by numerous wadis from northeast to southeast and has
many ravines, most of them deep, from 1,200 feet in the west to 600 feet in
the east.[1] The Judaean Desert is an area with a special morphological
structure along the east of the Judaean Mountains.

It is sometimes known as ‫ יְ ִשׁימוֹן‬Yeshimon, meaning desert or wildland, or yet

Wilderness of Judah or Wilderness of Judaea, among others.[2]

Location and climate

The Judaean Desert lies east of Jerusalem and descends to the Dead Sea.
Major urban areas in the region include Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Gush
Etzion, Jericho and Hebron.[3]

Rainfall in the Judaea region varies from 400–500 millimetres (16–20 in) in

the western hills, rising to 600 millimetres (24 in) around western Jerusalem
(in central Judaea), falling back to 400 millimetres (16 in) in eastern
Jerusalem and dropping to around 100 mm in the eastern parts, due to a
rainshadow effect. The climate ranges from Mediterranean in the west and
desert climate in the east, with a strip of steppe climate in the middle.

Judaea Group Aquifer

A study by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem of an underground water

reservoir beneath the Judaean Desert known as the Judaea Group Aquifer,
found that the aquifer begins in the Judaean Mountains and flows in a
northeasterly direction towards the Dead Sea with outflows at the Tsukim,
Kane, Samar and Ein-Gedi springs. The rain-fed aquifer contains an average
yearly volume of some 100 million cubic meters of water.[4]

Gallery

Mar Saba, in the Kidron Valley

View of the Judean Desert from Mount Yair, Ein Gedi

 Hills in the Judaean Desert

The Judean Desert. The view from Ma'ale Adumim (suburb of Jerusalem)

See also

Ein Gedi

Geography of Israel

Mar Saba

Masada

Qumran Caves

Tourism in Israel

Tourism in the Palestinian territories

References

1. Elisha Efrat (1988). Geography and Politics in Israel Since 1967 . Routledge
(Taylor & Fancis).

2. "Judean Wilderness" . BiblePlaces.com. Archived from the original on

2015-09-23. Retrieved 2010-11-28.

3. Picturesque Israel I: Jerusalem, Judah, Ephraim

4. "There's Water Under the Desert -- But It's Hardly Being Used" .

Hiking in the Judaean Desert travel guide from Wikivoyage

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Judean Desert.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Judaean Desert.