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Ein Gedi
Ein Gedi, a desert oasis close to the Dead Sea, is an area of springs, waterfalls,
polls and vegetation located in the arid desert. Wildlife is to be found in abundance.
It is believed that the oasis was first inhabited in the Chalcolithic Age (3000
BC); during the Byzantine period it was abandoned. There are Biblical references
to Ein Gedi in the encounter between David and Saul (1 Samuel 24) and ‘ Song of
Songs’ (1:14).
Things to see: the Nahal David Nature Reserve – a canyon overlooking the Dead Sea;
Dodim Cave – Lovers Cave; Chalcolithic Temple – dedicated to worshipping the moon
– Tel Goren – the first Israelite settlement; and the ruins of an ancient synagogue
from the 2nd or 3rd century, boasting an interesting mosaic floor.
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