Head South to Timna Park and Discover a New World

The Fellowship  |  March 26, 2021

The Holy Land is rich with places of archaeological and biblical significance. One of those places is Timna Park, the site of ancient copper mines which some say were apart of King Solomon’s empire. Writing for the Jerusalem Post, Hannah Brown shares what it’s like to visit these rolling red hills:

The rolling red hills of the park are endlessly soothing and, since the park itself covers more ground than Tel Aviv, it is a wonderful place to visit when you would like to keep your distance from everyone but your traveling companions. In Timna, you can wander to your heart’s content and never feel crowded…

Timna holds great archaeological and biblical significance since it is the site of ancient copper mines believed to have been part of King Solomon’s empire. About four years ago, Prof. Erez Ben-Yosef of Tel Aviv University and his team discovered evidence that the mines may truly date back to the days of King Solomon. “Now we not only know that this was a source of copper, but also that it’s from the days of King David and his son Solomon,” he told National Geographic.

The new visitor’s center has exhibits that explain the significance of the mines and how they worked, as well as a movie projected on the floors, walls and ceiling  that dramatizes Timna’s copper history. While the movie is dazzling, it may be a bit long for the youngest travelers. The visitors center received support from the Tourism Ministry, the JCA Foundation, the Jewish National Fund and Eilot Economic Fund.