David falls, Ein Gedi.

"The Window Dry fall", overlooking Ein Gedi

and the Dead Sea, Israel.

Ein Gedi (Hebrew: ‫) ֵעין ֶגּ ִדי‬, literally "spring of the kid (young goat)"[1] is an
oasis and a nature reserve in Israel, located west of the Dead Sea, near
Masada and the Qumran Caves. Ein Gedi was listed in 2016 as one of the
most popular nature sites in the country.[2]

Etymology

The name Ein Gedi is composed of two Hebrew words: ein means spring and
gǝdi means goat-kid. Ein Gedi thus means "kid spring" or "fountain of the kid".

History and archaeology

Neolithic
At Mikveh Cave archaeologists found Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) flint
tools and an arrowhead.

Chalcolithic

A Chalcolithic temple (ca. mid-fourth millennium BCE) belonging to the

Ghassulian culture was excavated on the slope between two springs, Ein
Shulamit and Ein Gedi. More Chalcolithic finds were made at the Moringa and
Mikveh Caves.[3]

Bronze Age

No traces of Bronze Age settlement have been found at Ein Gedi.

Iron Age

The remains of the Iron Age settlement at Ein Gedi are located at a tell on the
north bank of Wadi Arugot, known in Arabic as Tell el-Jurn and in Hebrew as
Tel Goren. The first permanent Iron Age settlement was Judean and was
established around 630 BCE. The site was destroyed or abandoned after the
Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587/86 BCE.

Hebrew Bible

In 2 Chronicles 20:2 Ein Gedi is identified with Hazazon-tamar,[4] Hazezon

Tamar,[5] Hatzatzon-Tamar [6] or Hazezontamar (‫ ַח ְצצוֹן ָתּ ָמר‬ḥaṣṣōn tāmār,
"portion [of land] of date palms"), on account of the palm groves which
surrounded it,[7] where the Moabites and Ammonites gathered in order to fight
King Josaphat. In Genesis 14:7 Hazazon-tamar is mentioned as being an
Amorite city, smitten by Chedorlaomer in his war against the cities of the
plain.

In Joshua 15:62 , Ein Gedi is enumerated among the wilderness cities of the
Tribe of Judah in the desert of Betharaba, and in Ezekiel 47:10 , it is
prophesied that one day, its coastal location will make it into a fishing village,
after the water of the Dead Sea has been made sweet:

Fishing nets will be spread from En-gedi to En-eglaim [8]

Fleeing from King Saul, David hides in the strongholds at Ein Gedi (1 Samuel
23:29 and 24:1-2 ) and Saul seeks him "even upon the most craggy rocks,
which are accessible only to wild goats" (1 Samuel 24:2 ). Psalm 63,
subtitled a Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah, has been
associated with David's sojourn in the desert of En-gedi.[9]

The Song of Songs (Song of Solomon 1:14 ) speaks of the "vineyards of En

Gedi". The words of Ecclesiasticus 24:18, "I was exalted like a palm tree in
Cades" (’en aígialoîs), may perhaps be understood as the palm trees of Ein
Gedi.

Persian period

The settlement at Tel Goren is a rare example of a town which reached its
zenith during the Persian period, probably during the late 5th century BCE.

Hellenistic period

Ein Gedi receives a fortress and becomes a royal Hasmonean estate.

Herodian and Roman period

According to the Jewish-Roman historian Josephus Flavius, the Sicarii, who

fought the Romans until their defeat and mass suicide at Masada, plundered
local villages including En Gedi. At En Gedi, they drove out the defenders, and
killed over seven hundred women and children who could not run
away.[10][11][12]

Byzantine period

Mosaic from ancient Ein Gedi synagogue

The indigenous Jewish town of Ein Gedi was an important source of balsam
for the Greco-Roman world until its destruction by Byzantine emperor
Justinian as part of his persecution of the Jews in his realm. A synagogue
mosaic remains from Ein Gedi's heyday, including a Judeo-Aramaic inscription
mosaic now on display at Jerusalem's Schottenstein campus museum
warning inhabitants against "revealing the town's secret" – possibly the
methods for extraction and preparation of the much-prized balsam resin,
though not stated outright in the inscription – to the outside world.[13]

Ottoman period

In 1838, Edward Robinson reported that the whole area were covered with
gardens, mainly cucumbers, all belonging to the Rashaideh tribe.[14]

In April 1848, Lieutenant William Francis Lynch led an American expedition

down the Jordan River into the Dead Sea, that stopped at En Gedi (Ain
Jidy).[15]

Israel

In 1998–99, the archaeological expedition of Yizhar Hirschfeld at Ein Gedi

systematically excavated what has been called "the Essenes site", first
discovered by Yohanan Aharoni in 1956.[16]

Ein Gedi nature reserve and national park

Two Nubian Ibexes at Ein Gedi

nature reserve

Ein Gedi nature reserve was declared in 1971[17] and is one of the most
important reserves in Israel. The park is situated on the eastern border of the
Judean Desert, on the Dead Sea coast, and covers an area of 14000 dunams
(3,500 acres or 14 km2).[17]

The elevation of the land ranges from the level of the Dead Sea at 423 meters
(1,388 ft) below sea level to the plateau of the Judean Desert at 200 meters
above sea level. Ein Gedi nature reserve includes two spring-fed streams with
flowing water year-round: Nahal David and Nahal Arugot (German article at:
de:Nachal Arugot). Two other springs, the Shulamit and Ein Gedi springs, also
flow in the reserve. Together, the springs generate approximately three million
cubic meters of water per year. Much of the water is used for agriculture or is
bottled for consumption.

The reserve is a sanctuary for many types of plant, bird and animal species.
The vegetation includes plants and trees from the tropical, desert,
Mediterranean, and steppian regions, such as Sodom apple, acacia, jujube,
and poplar. The many species of resident birds are supplemented by over 200
additional species during the migration periods in the spring and fall.
Mammal species include the Nubian ibex and the rock hyrax.

The Ein Gedi national park features several archaeological sites including the
Chalcolithic Temple of Ein Gedi and a first-century CE village. The park was
declared in 2002 and covers an area of 8 dunams (2.0 acres or 8,000 m2).[17]

Kibbutz Ein Gedi

The Botanical Garden at kibbutz

Ein Gedi.

Kibbutz Ein Gedi, founded in 1956, is located about a kilometer from the
oasis. It offers various tourist attractions and takes advantage of the local
weather patterns and the abundance of natural water to cultivate out-of-
season produce. The kibbutz area contains an internationally acclaimed
botanical garden covering an area of 100 dunams (10 ha, 24.7 acres). There
one can find more than 900 species of plants from all over the world. The
kibbutz is also home to the Ein Gedi Eco Park, which functions as both a zoo
and an environmental education center, demonstrating sustainable
technologies such as solar cookers, greywater systems, mud buildings, and
compost toilets.

Shalom Marathon – Dead Sea Half Marathon

The Ein Gedi race, also known as the Shalom Marathon – Dead Sea Half
Marathon is a popular road running event over several distances that has been
held by the Tamar Regional Council since 1983. The starting point for all races
is the Ein Gedi Spa, 80 kilometers (50 mi) southeast of Jerusalem and 4
kilometers south of Kibbutz Ein Gedi.[18][19]

See also

Archaeology of Israel

Tourism in Israel

Wildlife of Israel

Hiking in Israel

En-Gedi Scroll

References

1. Palmer, 1881, p. 416

2. Israel nature spots draw 2 million visitors, Haaretz

3. Gošić Arama, Milena (2016). "Temples in the Ghassulian Culture: Terminology

and social implications" . Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology. 11 (3): 872-
874. Retrieved 18 June 2019.

4. e.g. ASV, NRSV and CEB

5. e.g. NKJV

6. e.g. CJB

7. A Smaller Dictionary of The Bible, Sir William Smith, 1914, John Murrey,
London. page 169.

8. Jerusalem Bible: Ezekiel 47:10

9. Joseph Lightfoot, Works, vol. 1. p. 58, referenced by Gill, J., Gill's Exposition of
the Bible on 1 Samuel 23, accessed 24 May 2017

10. The Wars of the Jews, or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem, by Flavius
Josephus , translated by William Whiston, Project Gutenberg, Book IV,
Chapter 7, Paragraph 2.

11. Flavius Josephus, De bello Judaico libri vii , B. Niese, Ed. J. BJ 4.7.2
12. Ancient battle divides Israel as Masada 'myth' unravels; Was the siege really
so heroic, asks Patrick Cockburn in Jerusalem , The Independent, 30 March
1997

13. Bar, Aviva (2010-01-26). "Ein Gedi, A Streamlined approach" . Jpost.com.

Retrieved 2011-11-24.

14. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 2, p. 212

15. William Francis Lynch (1852). Narrative of the United States' expedition to the
river Jordan and the Dead sea . Blanchard and Lea. pp. 282 –296. Retrieved
10 November 2010.

16. Jesus and Archaeology, page 389, James H. Charlesworth, Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan 2006. ISBN 9780802848802

17. "List of National Parks and Nature Reserves" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Israel
Nature and Parks Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-07.
Retrieved 2010-09-27.

18. "Ein-Gedi Race" Archived February 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

19. Yagna, Yanir (2008-04-02). "Runners collapse near Dead Sea as temperatures
hit seasonal highs" . Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2011-11-24.

Bibliography

Conder, C.R; Kitchener, H.H. (1883). The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the
Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology . 3. London: Committee of the
Palestine Exploration Fund. (pp. 384 -386)

Hirschfeld, Yizhar, ed. (2006). Ein Gedi. "A Very Large Village of Jews" . Catalog. Haifa:
Muzeon Reuven ve-Idit Hekht. ISBN 9789657034064.

Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia
Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838 . 2. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.

Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia
Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838 . 3. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.
(Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 116 )

Palmer, E.H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists
Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and
Explained by E.H. Palmer . Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.

Warren, C. (1869). "Remarks on a visit to 'Ain Jidy and the southern shores of the Dead
Sea in mid-summer 1867" . Quarterly statement - Palestine Exploration Fund. 1: 143–
150. (pp. 143 -150)
External links

Virtual Tour of Ein Gedi - View from the Ein Gedi Promenade

Ein Gedi in the Dead Sea Map - Bird's-eye view in Flash

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority - Site page

Ein Gedi Travel Guide

Pictures of Ein Gedi synagogue

Ein Gedi mill, 1893

Survey of Western Palestine, Map 22: IAA , Wikimedia commons