The Arava: A Photo Essay

by Daniel E. Levenson

Far from the crowded streets of Jerusalem and the bustling metropolis of Tel Aviv, the Arava sits at the southern end of the state of Israel, nestled between the red Edomite mountains of Jordan on one side and the vast sandy plains of the Egyptian Sinai on the other. Part of the Great Rift Valley, this vast, undeveloped desert landscape has a haunting beauty one can feel in the dry, dusty wadis and narrow red-stone canyons, hear in the quiet shuffling of the desert partridge as it searches for food among the rocks, and see in the swift gate of the gazelle as it speeds across the open sands. During the day the sun beats down on hikers as they wind their way through narrow canyons and up steep cliffs, and in the evening the sun retreats, leaving the open sky to the stars and moon which can truly come into their own, free from interference by city lights. 

In this barren landscape there are few signs of the modern world.

 Wadis, or dry river beds, have the potential to go from dusty trenches in the earth to raging torrents in seconds.

 A mixture of mountains, canyons and plains, the Arava offers some great hiking for the adventurous , with spectacular views from peaks and ridges.

Home to a variety of several different kinds of desert environs, the Arava has some of the most impressive true desert. Here one can see a landscape where only a few plants can eek out an existence, and there is very little rainfall each year.  Although it may not be readily apparent from these photos, this area is in fact home to a wide range of desert mammals, including Ibex and antelope, as well as apredators such as wolves and hyenas.

One of the more unique geological features of the Arava is the presence of massive sand dunes, which attract researchers from around the world. The sand itself is extremely soft, and the contrast with the rocky ground that surrounds the dunes is striking.

All text and images copyright Daniel E. Levenson 2009