thumb|right|upright=1.15|"The Window Dry Fall", overlooking Ein Gedi and the [[Dead Sea, Israel]]

Ein Gedi (, ), also spelled En Gedi, is an oasis and a nature reserve in Israel, located west of the Dead Sea, near Masada and the Qumran Caves. Ein Gedi is a popular tourist attraction and was listed in 2016 as one of the most popular nature sites in Israel. The site attracts about one million visitors a year.

Next to the reserve is the Ein Gedi Archaeological Park, which hosts the remains of the Roman and Byzantine-era Jewish settlement located nearby. Immediately to the south is modern Ein Gedi, a kibbutz (collective community) established in 1954.

Etymology

The name Ein Gedi is composed of two words (In both Arabic and Hebrew): ein means spring or a fountain and gǝdi means goat-kid. Ein Gedi thus means "kid spring" or "fountain of the kid". The Hebrew name is also transliterated as 'En Gedi, En-gedi, Eggadi, Engaddi, and Engedi; the Arabic name as 'Ain Jidi and 'Ein Jidi. The archaeological mound (tell) is known in Hebrew as Tel Goren and in Arabic as Tell el-Jurn or Tell Jurn. It is also written Hazazon-tamar, Hazazontamar, Hazezon Tamar, and Hazezontamar. is one of the most important reserves in Israel. It is situated on the eastern slopes of the Judean Desert, bordering to the east on the Dead Sea, and covers an area of 14000 dunams ( or ). 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.

thumb|200px|Two Nubian [[Ibex|ibices at Ein Gedi Nature Reserve]]

Chalcolithic shrine and Iron Age remains

Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, administered separately from the Ein Gedi archaeology park (see above), features several archaeological sites including a rare Chalcolithic shrine, but also Tel Goren, an archaeological mound with Iron Age remains corresponding to Hazazon-tamar, a city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and inhabited on and off till the Byzantine period, two water-powered flour mills from the Mamluk period, etc.

Sinkholes

Ein Gedi has been subject to a large number of sinkholes appearing in the area, which have even damaged the highway built in 2010 which was supposedly built to a "sinkhole-proof" design. The sinkholes are due to the decline in the water level of the Dead Sea, at an annual rate of more than a metre, which is attributed to the battle for scarce water resources in the very arid region. The sinkholes form as a result of the receding shoreline (with the surface of the Sea having shrunk by about 33 per cent since the 1960s), where a thick layer of underground salt is left behind. When fresh water arrives in the form of heavy rains, it dissolves the salt as it sinks into the ground, forming an underground cavity, which eventually collapses under the weight of the surface ground layer.

thumb|Aerial view of [[Sinkhole|sinkholes in the reserve]]

Tourism has been affected by the receding shoreline and the sinkholes, and the amount of water from the rains reaching the sea has diminished since flash floods started pouring into the sinkholes. Huge cave systems called karsts convey water underground between the sinkholes. Scientists in the floodplain area south of Ein Gedi have been using cameras, water testing, videos using drones and satellite monitoring to map the area for safety. 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.

See also

  • Ein Gedi (archaeological site)
  • Cave of the Swords
  • Hiking in Israel
  • Tourism in Israel
  • Wildlife of Israel

References

Bibliography

  • (pp. 384-386)
  • (Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 116)
  • (pp. 143-150)
  • 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
  • Photos of Ein Gedi synagogue at the Manar al-Athar photo archive
  • Times of Israel - Nature of Ein Gedi - a Photo Essay