Timna - Tabernacle Model

For us, this was the Timna's crowning glory. A replica of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. 

    

Timna - Rock Drawings

This is said to be an ancient Egyptian rock drawing. Hmmm.



This is an illustration of a portion of the rock wall. There are hunters with lassos and boomerangs hunting ibexes and ostriches. There are also chariots harnessed to ibexes. 

Bill tried his hand at rock drawing.

That's pretty good, if you ask me. 

Even better!  :)

Timna - Landscape

Timna is intimidating, hot, and dry. But, like any desert, it has its beauty. What struck me most was the stillness. You could wander among these sand-covered rocks for miles and still be in awe of its grandeur. 

Timna - Spiral Hill

Another amazing rock formation.

Timna - Mushroom & a Half

Timna - Mushroom

In Timna are several unusual rock formations. This one is called "Mushroom." 

Timna - Copper MInes

Timna, located in southern Israel in the Aravah Desert, was once a thriving copper mining and production center. It was the earliest copper mine in the world. 

Qumran's Secrets

Qumran is best known as the place near the Dead Sea where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were found by Bedouin shepherds in 1947. 

It is thought that a religious group called the Essenes lived here. The Essenes were an ascetic, self-sufficient group. Displeased with the religious corruption in Jerusalem, they formed a tightly structured settlement complete with an aqueduct, a cistern, ritual baths, a kitchen, dining room, and a special room for scribes to do their meticulous work. 

There is speculation that John the Baptist spent time in Qumran but there is no biblical record of this.

In the future, I will blog more extensively about Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are housed in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.