Gorgeous Timna Park Eilat photos – unusual natural wonder
I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Timna Park Eilat Israel but I had not until I visited Eilat for the first time in September 2016. It was then when I learned that Timna Park is located in Southern Israel less than 30 km North of Eilat, right in the Desert.
Timna Valley Park was famous for copper ore which was mined there already since the 5th millenium BCE. Nowadays, people from around the world visit Timna Park mostly because of its unique reddish sand formations and more than 20 hiking trails. As Timna was pronounced a Nature Reserve in 2002, it is not allowed to mine copper there any more.
When I visited Timn Park Eilat for the first time, it was extremely hot there. We had to drink loads of water. Which is why I do not recommend to o any hiking there in summer. But my second time was in March 2017 with Tourist Israel and the temperature was more pleasant. Very bearable, warmer than in Eilat town but still fine for walking around without getting roasted.
Thanks to my two visits to Timna Park, you will find me wearing 2 different outfits on the photos below.
Timna Park Eilat photos
I decided to share with you photos from the most important attractions at the Timna Park: copper mines, Mushroom, Solomon’s Pillars and Shrine of Hathor.
Timna Park copper mines
It is still possible to see the entrances to the copper mines. You cannot enter the mines, just see the entrance.
Timna Park Mushroom
When Googling Timna Park photos, you will always find the famous Mushroom as well. Timna Park Mushroom is one of the spectacular sand statues formed by wind erosion over centuries. The monolithic red sandstone formation known in geology as hoodoo is surounded by copper smelting sites discovered in 1959 where you can learn a bit about copper mining. It reminded me of the Arbol de Piedra in the Uyuni desert in Bolivia.
Timna Park Solomon’s Pillars
Only on my second visit I had a chance to go to the Timna Park Solomon’s Pillars, gorgeous rock formations made by water erosion. The Pillars got their name only in 1930’s when thinking they were somehow connected to the King Solomon. The place is known for concerts in summer, and you can even get married here. The Hathor and Ramses rock drawings from the 12 century BCE even add to the Majesty of the Solomon’s Pillars. If you don’t have problems with knees, I recommend you to climb the steps up to the hole and walk back down the other way. So worth it!
Shrine of Hathor
A small Egyptian temple dedicated to Hathor, the Goddess of mining, was excavated next to the Solomon’s Pillars. The temple is dating back to the 14th century BCE and was rebuilt after an earthquake damage in the 13th century. We can now observe Hathor’s rock carving and Egyptian hieroglyphs as part of the excavated area. Also thousands of statues, jewelry artifacts and hieroglyphs were found in the temple.
If you were wondering, why Egyptian Goddess, then you should know that the first miners who were digging copper in the Timna Park were Egyptians.
You can find more photos in my Eilat photo album :)
And if you are visiting the area, go check out the best 15 things to do in Eilat.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Here is more about Timna Park. For more information please visit Eilat tourism website.
My big thanks go to Tourist Israel and the Ministry of Tourism of Israel and the Embassy of the State of Israel in Slovakia for this opportunity to visit Timna Park Eilat.
Vish
| #
Timna park Eilat looks superb on your photos. What a very fantastic location..