Rating: Easy.
All Vehicles.
Family Walking.
Starting Point: Club Ramon Spa Hotel, Mizpe Ramon.
Park your vehicle at Ha’ro’a Campsite on Road 40 near Ha’lukim Junction; this is the finish line. The trailhead is at nearby Mizpor Hagai, an observation point overlooking Tzinn Wadi, its upper reaches, the Ovdat Plateau and the Hatira hill-range.
The observation point is named after Hagai Avriel. After serving as an intelligence officer in the nascent IDF, he in 1952 called together a small group of young people to establish the co-operative farm of Sde Boker.
Descend the green trail to the “lost city”, a name given to this site by archeologist Yehuda Nevo. It is a large site from the late Byzantine period/early Moslem period (6-7 AD centuries). This ancient settlement covers a large area, and its agricultural terraces cover several desert ravines. This site includes the remains of dozens of stone structures and impressive traces of settlement. At the stone structure by the trail, turn left and walk east about 50 mts., to the exposed Limestone, on which was found a plethora of rock drawings and inscriptions in ancient Arabic script. The inscriptions, translated by Prof. Moshe Sharon, indicate that the site was inhabited by a Nomadic idol-worshiping people, living at the edge of Christian society in the late Byzantine period. After first converting to Christianity, with the advent of Islam they embraced this new religion. The inscriptions contain prayers of forgiveness to Allah, and the individual names indicate an Arab, Semitic population.
Return to the trail and continue to another large structure. These are the remains of a large, open-air Mosque, in which the kiblah (direction of Mecca) wall with the Mihrab (niche) is visible. From here the trail continues south back to Ha’ro’a Campsite, named after Barbara Proper, known as “the shepherd (‘ha’ro’a’) of Sde Boker”, murdered by border infiltrators in 1952.
The Campsite, created by the JNF, has many shady trees, picnic tables and other camping facilities. It is also the regional trail-head for numerous bicycle trails. Near Ha’roa Campsite are the desert home of Israel’s first prime-minister, David Ben-Gurion, and the Sde Boker Winery.
Return to rest at the Club Ramon Spa Hotel.
Organized By Ramon Extreme.
For additional information call +972 (0)8 658 6107.