Qumran, En Gedi

Today Munir is no longer our driver and we no longer have wifi on the bus. We left Jerusalem early and traveled out of town to an overlook on the wadi that comes up from Jericho through the Judean Wilderness. It may have been the path that Joshua took when he came to spy out the land on his way to the western hills.This area was definitely not the land flowing with milk and honey. We encountered a Bedouin camp and some camels while at the lookout.

Jericho is in the haze. The water runs where you can see the vegetation which is probably the route they took.

Bedouins around a campfire in some ruins

Bedouin and his camel

 

We boarded the bus and headed south until we reached Qumran which is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We saw the ruins of an Essene village. These people may have been the ones to preserve the scrolls in the caves.

Trail leading up to some caves - not where the scrolls were found

 

Cave #4

 

Angela and I at Qumran

 

These people valued and worshipped the written Word

 

 

 

 

From there we continued to travel south parallel to the Dead Sea until we reached En Gedi. This is an "oasis in the desert" with a waterfall that flows all year and an area that has several different animals that thrive in this area.

Papa Ibex

This area is where the story concerning Saul And David in 1 Samuel 24 took place.

 

View back to the Dead Sea as we hiked to the waterfall

 

Waterfall at En Gedi that flows all year

 

 

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