EN GEDI

For the fourth time along this route the dry wilderness is irrigated by the waters of an oasis. At En Gedi (Fountain of the Kid), cascading waterfalls and limpid pools are bordered by luxuriant trees and wild flowers.

Little has changed since the poet was moved to write in the Song of Songs, ``My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En Gedi'' (Cant. 1:14).

In this region David fled the wrath of the jealous King Saul and stealthily ``cut off the skirt of Saul's robe'' in a cave (I Samuel 24:4).

Anxious to preserve this heritage, the Nature Reserves Authority has proclaimed it a nature reserve and visitors are reminded that it is forbidden to pick the flowers or hunt the wild life that includes ibex. Open: daily 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Entrance fee.

A trail leads up to the heights of the Nature Reserve on the north of the kibbutz, crossing the stream at many points. You pass a series of pools and small waterfalls until you get to David's Spring and a 35 m.-high waterfall with a shallow pool below it. A fenced-off historical site in the kibbutz's date groves includes the mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue. The remains of a Chalcolithic temple are an hour's walk away. Here, too, Jews lived in prosperity until they fled to the caves of Nahal Hever, further south, when the Romans encamped at En Gedi during the revolt of Bar Kochba.

The flourishing kibbutz is shaded by scores of trees. There is a guest house within the kibbutz. Night hikes to the spectacular caves below Massada are sometimes organized when there is a full moon - enquire at the kibbutz.

If you wish to swim in the Dead Sea, En Gedi is the place because fresh water showers are installed on the beach to wash off the sticky salt afterwards. There is a self-service restaurant here. The 18-kilometre stretch between En Gedi and Massada is close to the shore, providing endless opportunities to study the bizarre, lunar-like landscape. Driftwood is bent into tortured shapes and baked white by the sun.

Four km. from En Gedi pass by the hot sulphur springs with modern buildings - Hamei Mazor (see Health Resorts).

Nahal Hever, less than halfway to Massada, has a series of caves secreted within steep cliffs. From the bat-filled interiors, Professor Yadin's expedition recovered the unique Bar Kochba letters, glassware, jewellery, fragments of clothing, coins and legal documents. They are displayed in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
The Roman camp, perched at the top of the cliff and in the surrounding area, made escape impossible for the Jews who fled here during 132-5 CE.

Cross Nahal Tze'elim, which becomes a torrent of water during the few hours of sudden winter rains.

The turn-off to Massada is clearly signposted close by. (For a description of Massada see Route No. 22.)