The Makhtesh of the Israeli Negev Desert from Planck's Constant

In a previous article I described my experiences working at the legendary site of King Solomon's Mines in Timna, Israel.

What I did not mention in that article was the 6 hour bus ride from Jerusalem to Timna in the Negev Desert. Halfway there one passes through Mitzpe Ramon a small sleepy town that stands over the northern wall of the Ramon Crater - what in Hebrew is called Makhtesh Ramon.

Makhteshim are spectacular geological features peculiar to Israel's Negev desert. In contrast to meteor craters or craters formed by volcano, makhteshim were formed by erosion ¹.

The photo at top is of a fish-chime sculpture (each chime is ten feet high), one of dozens along the rim of Ramon Crater in what is known as Desert Sculpture Park.

In 1962 Israeli artist Ezra Orien took the town dump and turned it into a tourist attraction. The sculpture park was built in two stages. In 1963 Oren invited artists from all over the world to Mitzpe Ramon giving them carte blanche to create whatever suited their fancy. 20 years later Israeli sculptors were invited to add works that would fit in with the landscape.

Here is a great view of Makhtesh Ramon - the world's largest makhtesh. The crater is 25 miles long and up to 5 miles wide.

Photo Credit: mprivoro

I'm surprised Steven Spielberg hasn't used this location for a sci-fi film.

Nothing profound in this post, just some beautiful scenery I wanted to share with you.

Notes

(1):

Wiki, Makhtesh
A makhtesh (Hebrew: מַכְתֵּשׁ‎, plural: מַכְתְּשִׁים – Makhteshim) is a geological landform regarded to be unique to the Negev desert of Israel and the Sinai Peninsula. Although commonly known as "craters" (a literal reading of the Hebrew, and due to the visual similarity), these formations are more accurately described as erosion cirques (steephead valleys or box canyons). A makhtesh has steep walls of resistant rock surrounding a deep closed valley which is usually drained by a single wadi. The valleys have limited vegetation and soil, containing a variety of different colored rocks and a diverse fauna and flora which has been protected and preserved over millions of years. The best known (and largest) makhtesh is Makhtesh Ramon of Israel's Negev desert.

Read my disclaimer regarding external links here.