The Timna Park is a national park near Eilat in the southern Negev in Israel.
background
The area near the Arava Valley was first noticed in the 1930s by archaeologists who found ancient copper mines here. The valley, rich in geological features, was placed under protection in 2002 Jewish National Fund manages the park area, which was co-financed by the KKL and private sponsors.
history
The Copper ore deposits were already in the 6./5. Millennium BC exploited when metal was produced here for the first time in human history - the starting signal for the Copper Age. In the 14th / 12th Century B.C. the copper ore mines were exploited by Egyptian expeditionary troops, the copper bars were brought by donkey for onward transport by ship to Egypt to a port on the Red Sea.
The original interpretation as Mines of King Solomon cannot be maintained according to modern archaeological interpretation. The copper deposits were later removed from the Nabataeans and exploited by the Romans.
After the Arab conquest of the region, the copper mines were exploited by the Omayads until the copper ore deposits were exhausted.
In the 1930s, Nelson Glueck carried out the first excavations, and the theory was that he had discovered the ore mines of King Solomon. In 1959 the first more systematic excavation work was carried out under Beno Rothenberg, until the 1990s countless ancient mining shafts and remains of Egyptian mining work were uncovered.
A little further to the west, ore mining was resumed by modern Israel in 1955, the modern mine was after Timnah named resp. is called today Arava Mines.
landscape
The Timna Park is laid out in a wide valley basin, through which one drives through an asphalt access road from the northwest. The road circles the Mount Timna in the east in a wide arc, in the west the park area is bounded by an arched rock cliff.
In the far south, at the end of the access road, an artificial lake was built near the visitor center Timna Lake - created on which you can ride a pedal boat.
Flora and fauna
Only a few trees grow in the park area, which can survive despite the sparse rainfall.
Animals in Timna Park include Nubian ibexes and seldom rock badgers or wolves, the most common bird is the Sahara wheatear with its black plumage and white "cap".
climate
As in the whole of the southern Negev, there is an arid desert climate, with daytime temperatures of 32-42 ° C in the summer months and 18-25 ° C in the winter months, which are more suitable for sightseeing and hiking tours.
getting there
From the street 90that through the Arava Valley to Eilat the turn-off to Timna Park is signposted approx. 25 km north of Eilat. From the paved access road you can get into and further through the park area after paying the entry fee at the ticket booth at the entrance.
Fees / permits
An entry fee of around 40 NIS / person is charged at the park entrance; a further 10 NIS / person must be paid for visiting the reconstructed tabernacle. Every visitor is registered for one of the hourly guided tours.
mobility
The best way to get around the park area is with the Private vehicle en route, the distances between the attractions are too far to explore the park area on foot. One possibility is to explore the park area with the bicycle.
Tourist Attractions
Archaeological sites
- at the 2 That was the park entrance, near the ticket booth new visitor center built. A Multimedia show A 360 ° cinema takes visitors back to antiquity, when Egyptian miners extracted the valuable copper ore from the ground, poured it into bars and paid homage to their gods in a sanctuary.
- The start times of the English-language demonstration will be communicated upon receipt.
- On a side street you turn right and get to 3 Petroglyphs with representation of War chariot ("Chariots"). On the
black-and-white marked route that goes off the access road, you can to 1 petrified trees ("Fossilized Trees") arrive. - if you don't turn off on the side street to the northwest, but to the "Arches" continues, you come to a parking lot at one 4 Information pavilion with information about ancient mining technology ("Ancient Mines"). On the plain there are shallow copper ore pits in which the ore lying on the surface was mined in prehistoric times. After the surface deposits had dried up, first horizontal tunnels and vertical shafts were driven into the ground with Stone Age tools.
- from here you can already see the rocky natural arches:
black-and-white marked route that goes off the access road, you can to - the
The green and white marked path branches off to the right to 2 Little bow ("Small Arch"), the ascent is easy to do with steel clamp steps and the path is secured with handrails (possible for schoolchildren when accompanied, T2); you can get back to the plateau in a circular route. - straight ahead to the northwest leads to the widely visible 3 Big bow, the "Great Arch". The
The red and white marked route leads through the natural rock hole on steel brackets that have to be climbed like a ladder. Behind it, you can descend into a narrow crevice, also secured with steel clamp steps, and take a short circular path back to the starting point. - on the
blue and white marked route leads to a collection of 5 ancient mine shafts from different eras. The shafts created with blunt stone tools date from the Stone Age. Later shafts with longitudinal furrows left by Bronze Age tools and steps on either side of the shafts that workers could use to climb out date from the Bronze Age. - At one point, two shafts from different eras can be visited next to each other. Children like to crawl through the ancient tunnels, access to some shafts is forbidden, others can be crawled through.
The green and white marked path branches off to the right to 
The red and white marked route leads through the natural rock hole on steel brackets that have to be climbed like a ladder. Behind it, you can descend into a narrow crevice, also secured with steel clamp steps, and take a short circular path back to the starting point.
blue and white marked route leads to a collection of - near the geological formation of the so-called "Pillars of Solomon" (who, however, probably never was here, the excavation finds testify to Egyptian colonization), a rock cliff was found at the foot of a cliff 6 Sanctuary of the Egyptian goddess Hathor found with a fence and erected stones ("Standing Stones").
Geological attractions
- a blue and white marked route leads in approx. 500 m to 4 Spiral Hill. The peculiar geological formation must not be climbed, it is effectively illuminated at night. On the blue and white route you could see the rock carvings of the Egyptian war chariots from the 14th / 12th centuries. Century B.C. going on hiking.
- A little further you can turn into a side street that leads to the ancient mines and the rocky floors ("Arches"). On the right-hand side, a short footpath leads to the rock formation of the
- 5 Mushroom and a Halfwho have favourited "One and a Half Mushrooms". The harder rock of the mushroom-shaped rock formation has remained, the softer rock was washed away by erosion, except for a "mushroom style".
- the often photographed rock formation 6 Mushroom ("Mushroom") is a little further west and can be found on the The green and white route can be reached on foot from the side street or from the main road leading to the visitor center at Timna Lake. Near the "Mushroom" archaeologists have the ancient ones 7 Workshops in which the copper ore was melted down into bars discovered.
- You can get to the from the parking lot near the ancient mines "Arches", the two natural arches described above.
- The blue and white marked route leads southeast to the "Pink Canyon" and "White Canyon". First the route follows a wadi and then turns right.
- The 7 "Pink Canyon" impresses with its pink-red rocks, it can be easily hiked through.
- After that, the Green and white marked route in an arc to the northwest and then back in a long loop to the access road and the parking lot at the "Ancient Mines / Arches".
- If you want to hike further, stay on the blue and white marked route and arrives at 8 "White Canyon" with white limestone. The route leads to the in an arch 9 "Sand dunes". After 500 m you will come to an intersection with the black and white route. You can continue on this to the main road (and then have to go back to the parking lot) or you can take the one that branches off to the left cycle path take to shorten the way to the parking lot at the "Arches".
- on the main road you get to the southwest, after a ford is the junction to the "Solomon's Pillars" designated. You can drive to the parking lot there by car.
- The rock formation is impressive 10 "Pillars of Solomon"caused by erosion from the red rock.
- a path built with steps leads through the cliffs up to a point where there is a Rock carving from Egyptian times can be seen. Hieroglyphs explain what happened as Pharaoh Ramses III made an offer to the Egyptian goddess Hathor. The path descends to the ruins of the Egyptian temple of Hathor.
- past the stone formation of the sphinx arrives at 8 Visitor center at the artificially dammed lake Timna Lake.
- In the visitor center there is a shop with all imaginable souvenirs, a restaurant and toilet facilities. Children can fill bottles with colored sand as a souvenir.
- At the Timna Lake one can become friends of the young visitors Pedal boats rent, there are shady benches for picnics on its bank, but you are not allowed to swim in the lake.
- a highlight is that 9 Reconstruction of the tabernacle in original size according to the biblical description given in Exodus 25,8 begins. The visit must be booked separately at the entrance (ask for "Tabernacle" in English, 10 NIS), you will be enrolled in one of the guided tours that start at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 3.30pm and are held in English as required duration approx. 45 min. The guide explains the Old Testament temple service with the help of the reconstructed equipment, the altars and the path of the high priest in the Holy of Holies with the Ark of the Covenant; all materials used to build the tabernacle, wood, metals and colors, have their symbolic meaning. The tabernacle cannot be visited without a guide!
activities
- various Hiking trails of varying duration and difficulty, all of which are well marked, are shown on the map given at the park entrance.
- If you like, you can go to 10 Mount Timna hike. The tour to the summit is part of the
Israel National Trail, which leads north to the park entrance, then circles the park area in the north and leads west at the height of the mountain cliff.
- Various cycle paths are marked in and around Timna Park, and a protective helmet is mandatory for the mountain bike routes in the park!
shop
- in the Visitor center At Lake Timna, souvenirs often related to Egyptian culture and copper mining are offered in the park shop.
kitchen
- There is a restaurant at the visitor center at Lake Timna. Anyone who goes on a hike must bring the appropriate amount of drinking water and food with them, while picnicking is not allowed to leave any litter or feed animals in the park area.
accommodation
Most of the visitors will find their accommodation in Eilat book and visit Timna as a day trip.
camping
By arrangement it can be on a gravelled 1 Campground overnight at the visitor center near Lake Timna.
security
trips
- most visitors are from Eilat come here, geological peculiarities in the region are the Red Canyon and the Amram Pillars at Wadi Shoret.
literature
- Park Timnah - The Copper Kingdom, Leaflet with plan / map and explanations, German
