Timna National Park is located in a vast valley, surrounded by mountains. Since the 5th millennium BC, copper ore has been mined there. It is known that the ancient Egyptians exploited the mines during the rule of Ramses II. There is a hypothesis that the biblical mines of King Solomon were actually located in this valley.

The most famous natural phenomenon in Timna park is Spiral Hill.  The nature sculpted this hill in the form of spiral steps.

Ancient Rock Drawings in Timna

Moving on from the Spiral Hill we arrive to a place called “Chariot”. This locality is known for its’  drawings on the rocks dating from the 14th-12th century BC.  The ancient Egyptians inhabited the valley of Timna during this period and built a large number of copper mines. This art of drawing on the rocks represents events from everyday life.

Photo to the left captures drawing of Nubian ibex in its original state, while the one on the right represents a reconstruction of the original drawing. 

This drawing represents a hunter throwing a lasso, probably capturing an ibex.

Carriages being pulled by ibex.

And here you can easily recognize an ostrich bird.

An Egyptian chariot with an Egyptian soldier-archer. The Egyptians were the first to invent chariots and used them widely in wars and military campaigns.

Another significant natural formation in Timna Park is this gate or stone bridge. Gates occur mainly on narrow isolated ridges. The wind and the dust it carries  attack the ridge from both sides and creates a depression in the rock. This depression becomes larger over time, and at one point an opening is created in the rock.

Ancient Mines in Timna

This area is rich with remains of many mines dating from different time periods. This mine shaft is the remain of one of the oldest preserved mines in the world and it dates from 5th millenium B.C.

This picture represents the reconstruction of the oldest mine, which is actually a great dig in the rock.

There are number of mines that are of a younger date. Specifically, this mine belonged to the Egyptians in the period from the XIV-XII century BC. The second picture is a model of the mine, and the third is a cross-sectional drawing of the mine. Based on this reconstruction, it can be seen that the Egyptian mines were more technologically developed because they had a series of vertical and horizontal tunnels.

On this photo we can see a Mine Cave.  It is not men-made, nor was any ore mined from it. It was probably used by miners as a shelter and therefore got its name.

At the ceiling of the cave there is a hole, one could pass through.

Timna has its own Red Canyon as well.

Timna has an oasis too.

Solomons Pillars Timna

In Timna there are rock formations known as Solomon Pillars. Although not scientifically proven, since the 1930s, scholars have believed that the biblical mines of King Solomon were located here. The pillars that are visible are of natural shape, and not man made due to ore exploitation.

The preserved mines were exploited by the ancient Egyptians during the period from the 14th to the 12th century BC. many centuries before King Solomon. Under the Solomon Pillars, the temple of the Egyptian goddess Hathor, the protector of miners, was found. Once the Egyptians left this area, the temple was taken over by the Maritime peoples, who destroyed the hieroglyphs and objects related to the cult of the goddess Hathor. Recent research in this area reveal that the mines were used in the early Iron Age, during the reign of King Solomon.

THE END!!!

Check out other beautiful nature wonders in Israel, like Eilat Mountains and Maktesh Ramon.